


Homestead

by JSwander, whohatessand



Series: Long Way Home [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anakin did not kill younglings, Anakin still has all his limbs, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, M/M, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Obikin as Dads, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, The Twins - Freeform, This is literally just Stardew Valley Obikin, Widow Anakin Skywalker, post mustafar
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:28:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 46,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26932882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JSwander/pseuds/JSwander, https://archiveofourown.org/users/whohatessand/pseuds/whohatessand
Summary: After their failed altercation on Mustafar, Obi-Wan Kenobi secretly stows away with his former Padawan now turned Sith Lord and traitor to the Republic.Or, Obi-Wan deals with a troubled newly widowed Anakin, two twins, and desperately needs a hug.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker, Padme Amidala/Anakin Skywalker (past)
Series: Long Way Home [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1973965
Comments: 282
Kudos: 672
Collections: SW Especially Satisfying Stories





	1. Prologue Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> A few notes about this fic before beginning, everything up until the day of Order 66 is just as it is in canon. The fic begins after Obi-Wan and Anakin's altercation on Mustafar in which Obi-Wan does not cut off Anakin's limbs. The only other big change is that Anakin himself did not kill the younglings (but rather the clones, which overall played a larger part in the slaughter of the Jedi) in this AU.
> 
> While some may not agree with this choice, since this fic is ultimately a romance and parenting story, it felt like a more comfortable choice (in terms of story telling) for Anakin to not have been involved with the murder of the younglings. For many, this is when Anakin passed the point of no return in canon. Please keep an open mind about the changes! :) 
> 
> Other than that, we hope you enjoy this fic we’ve been working on together!

“Considering the short notice, it was the best I could find that met your specifications.”

“Thank you Bail. I don’t know how I can repay you.” 

“Don’t thank me just yet.” Bail said with a tight smile. “You haven’t seen the place yet.”

The long dirt road was flanked by thick old trees, filtering the Alderaan sunlight into a dappling green. The air was cool, clear. The kind that you couldn’t help but breathe deep into the lungs after stepping out of the recycled, filtered air of a space cruiser. 

Bail Organa offered Obi-Wan his hand, helping him up a stone step as it gently sloped upward to the property. Obi-Wan took it gratefully, _it had been a long day,_ the other braced around the sling across his chest that held the warm weight of two _mercifully_ sleeping newborns.

“It’s got heat, plumbing, and electricity. I had to pick between getting someone in to see the roof or getting it fully stocked though,” 

“It’s alright Bail. I greatly appreciate it.”

“The roof should last you until the storm season kicks off in a few months. In the meantime, the pantry and larder could keep you all fed well into the new year with no trouble.”

The property was equal parts grand and wild. A large untamed lawn, or perhaps ‘fields’ were a better term, in all directions before giving way to the scrub and deep trees of pure wilderness. In the distance, tall mountains— purple-blue from ozone and the early morning stretched off into the distance before meeting tall billowing clouds. A long porch wrapped around the length of the longhouse, with floor-to-ceiling sliding windows that could open to bring in the mountain air. 

Weeds and bramble pushed in on all sides, coming up through the porch in some places. Even from the outside, Obi-Wan could spot patches in the woodwork, shingles missing from the roof, and panels half-rotten in dire need of replacement. It would have been terribly beautiful once, worn down by the inevitability of time and nature. 

At the sight of it, Obi-Wan released a deep sigh of relief that he had been holding for the past three long days.

_It was exactly what they needed._

“I managed to get you a speeder as well. The town will still be nearly fifty minutes on it though. I know you said the further the better, but in case of an emergency—” Bail continued, his eyes straying for the hundredth time to the precious bundles that Obi-Wan held to his chest. “Anyway,” he continued gamely. “You’ll need to make the trip in if you want to make any sort of transmission. The comms on your ship won’t pick up any signal out here. You have an account in the bank there as well. I didn’t want to draw attention with too large a sum, but it will allow you to get any additional supplies you need for the next few years if you’re careful with it.”

“Do the people there know of this place?”

“They helped get it in working order for you. The story is you’re a reclusive writer, not to be disturbed.” Bail chuckled quietly, it wasn’t exactly true. 

The house’s interior quite matched the outside. The floorboards had come away in places. The paint was chipped and peeling. There was a faint earthy smell to the place, but fortunately no muggy cloying taste of mold or rot.

“Kitchen is through here, and the fresher just beyond that. The tub needs a good scrubbing down, but it's one of those old-style Alderaan heated baths. I’d say it’ll be quite nice, once you get it in order.”

Obi-Wan peeked into the kitchen. It was quite clear to see what parts had been hastily added and which were a part of the original design, from the tell-tale presence or absence of that layer of age and neglect. Sunlight filtered through the dirty windows, casting down on blue tiling that he suspected would be quite lovely when restored.

“The keys to the shed are on the table. You’ll find everything you need in there to get a garden going if you’d like. There’s an old coop in the back as well, though I’m not sure how up to the task that droid of yours might be to muck it out.”

“Yes, one thing at a time I suppose.” Obi-Wan knew he was being very quiet, but it was quite a lot to take in at once. Still, he relished the ideas that came with the place. A vegetable garden, chickens may be, broken floorboards. These were the types of things that pushed out heavy, simmering, and difficult dark thoughts that bided their time patiently at the back of his mind.

The final stop on the tour made Obi-Wan a tad misty-eyed. Just behind his own bedroom was a beautifully furnished little nursery. It was graciously stocked with cloth diapers, toys, and neatly folded stacks of clothes and other necessities. 

“It’s the only room in the house where the roof won’t leak. Just above the boiler room too, so it will stay warm in the winter months.”

“Thank you, Bail.” Obi-Wan had said it a dozen times in the last hour, but this time he heard his voice break as he spoke. 

“Of course, my friend.”

Obi-Wan allowed himself to be pulled into a careful, warm embrace. He breathed, taking in the spice and juniper scent that would always remind him of Bail’s office on Coruscant. One of the children shifted and cooed. Obi-Wan rubbed their back soothingly. 

“It’s not too late, you know.” Bail said, a bit thickly. “I can get you a much more suitable place in the Capitol. I swear nobody will know of your existence there, I can—”

Obi-Wan pulled away from the embrace, eyes shining. “This place is perfect, Bail.”

The proper thing to do might have been to invite him to stay for tea and supper. But there were many things he needed to see before the day was out, and Obi-Wan felt much too guilty. 

He had locks and chains to install in the small bedroom down the hall.

·················•·················

_Once I had a crystal blue,_

_It shone all night and day._

_Till a Cour’sant man came a’courtin me_

_And he stole my crystal away._

_O come oh fair and tender young,_

_that flourish in your prime._

_keep your crystal bright_

_and let no man darken your light,_

_let no man darken your light._

Obi-Wan sang quietly as he walked through the woods, sticks, and fallen leaves crunching underfoot. There was something old and pressing about the wild around him. Ordinarily, he might feel inclined to remain silent and open himself up to the living force around him. But his voice seemed to soothe Luke and Leia deeper into sleep. He found himself trying to recall snatches here and there of old Jedi lullabies and songs for them. 

They would need to eat soon. Obi-Wan’s thoughts once again flicked with relief to the cases of formula stacked up in the cool cellar. He knew that he was pushing their schedule - taking them with him on this errand, but it was crucial that he complete this last task before Anakin’s sedatives wore off. 

Without the core modulator, Obi-Wan’s vessel was nothing more than a heap of scrap sitting down the road from the house. While there were probably merchants on a planet like Alderaan that could supply a new one, they might as well be on one of her moons for how far removed they were from this isolated place.

The only one was it's original, now hidden in the nook of a gnarled old tree deep in the woods. Unless Anakin had been following Obi-Wan himself, there would be no finding it in such a place.

Anakin was beginning to wake now, Obi-Wan realized as he returned to the old house. 

He couldn’t sense the man’s presence. With a force inhibiting collar around Anakin’s neck, he more felt the void in the force where he ought to have been beginning to shift and move about the room he’d been stashed away in. 

Obi-Wan breathed deliberately, keeping his heartbeat calm and steady for the babes pressed against it. 

_Just a little longer, dear ones._ He thought, setting them down in their twin prams in the nursery. 

Before he could feed them, he would have to face their Father.

-

Anakin’s eyes fluttered open, feeling the dull, empty pounding of his skull. He groaned from the headache, instinctively moving his hands up for relief only to find himself handcuffed with restraints around his wrist. 

_What? Where was he?_

Anakin’s head felt terribly groggy as he desperately attempted to remember the last things that happened. Taking a deep breath, Anakin reached out through the force when—

_There was nothing._

The force felt entirely muted around him in a way he had never experienced before. Anakin maneuvered his handcuffed arms oddly, just enough for him to confirm his suspicions. 

_Yep_ , it was a force inhibitor collar. Whoever was holding Anakin captive clearly didn’t want him using the force, and had gone to great lengths to restrain him. 

He turned to the sound of someone fumbling with locks on his door. He was shocked to find Obi-Wan on the other side, walking into the room with a tray in his hands.

“I’ve brought you some water.” Obi-Wan entered the room after unlocking the three heavy bolts securing it in place. He had to admire R2’s handy-work. “You’ll be thirsty after being out for so long. You should try to eat as well, though you likely won’t be able to stomach much for a little while.” He set down a tray with a tall glass and some slices of dry toast, though just outside of arm’s reach for the time being on the little end table.

He wanted to gauge Anakin’s mood before setting anything within arm's reach of him that could be used as a projectile weapon.

Anakin only stared at him blankly, the lack of familiar blue eyes painfully alarming. 

_Obi-Wan was the one responsible for this?_

_Being out so long? How long had he been out?_

He narrowed his eyes on the man, one look, and all of his recent memories suddenly came swarming back like a giant punch to the gut. 

_Palpatine. Order 66. Mustafar. Padmé._

Anakin shook his head, almost as if trying to shake away the memories — it was all too much at once. 

The last thing he remembered was facing Obi-Wan on Mustafar after he had cut down the Separatist leaders, instructions from Palpatine were clear. All Jedi were the enemy... including Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

On that desolate, molten planet Anakin had been prepared for a fight to the death but Obi-Wan was able to halt their fighting. He remembered feeling conflicted by Obi-Wan's pleas for some sense saintly from Anakin, before losing all consciousness at his former master's hand.

Considering their last moments together and the current restricted situation he found himself in, it wasn't too much of a stretch to assume Obi-Wan had ultimately decided to take him prisoner for his crimes against the Republic and the Jedi. 

"Aren't force inhibitors a little barbaric, even for you?" Anakin frowned, turning his head away from the glass of water despite his dry throat. "Am I your prisoner now?" He huffed. 

Not that any of this mattered anyway, Anakin was far more concerned with the safety and status of his very pregnant wife. 

Obi-Wan set his jaw. He realized at that moment he had made a grave mistake, once again.

He had been preoccupied with the plan. With the safe house. Chickens and floorboards.

He should have been getting ready for _this_. 

Had he really thought the confrontation had ended on Mustafar? 

Obi-Wan didn’t want to keep Anakin as his prisoner. He wanted to keep him safe. Away from the Empire and the Jedi both. The Jedi knew he was a traitor now, there would be no going back for him. The Force was still crying out across the universe for those who had been cut down in the birthing of the new Empire. 

And how long would it be before the Emperor decided that his new … apprentice must be dead or have turned heel himself? 

But those were all half-formed answers to the question of the chains and the collar. Those were easy questions. They were nothing compared to the one that followed. 

"Where's Padmé? Is she safe?"

The one that had Obi-Wan’s knees give out. 

He sat heavily on the stool next to the bed, steeling himself. “Anakin… what do you last recall of Padme?”

Anakin adjusted his position, sitting up in the bed with a heavy, remorseful sigh. “I remember she came to Mustafar to speak with me, she wanted me to run away with her but I... didn’t react very well when I found out she had brought you with her.” 

Anakin had gotten so angry to see Obi-Wan step out of her ship, his own jealousy and insecurities consumed him even now. 

Palpatine had played directly into his fears that Obi-Wan and Padmé had been conspiring against him— a fear that had only been confirmed once Obi-Wan walked off that ship defending Padmé from her _own_ husband.

“I assumed she had brought you to kill me so I hurt her… and I shouldn’t have.” Anakin looked down at his hands shamefully, “but she was still alive... unconscious but alive. I could still sense her.”

The silence that stretched between them at that moment was a deep, black, and hungry thing. The gaping maw dividing one world from a horrific new one. A world that Padme Amidala Naberrie didn’t exist in. 

“She _was_ , yes…” Obi-Wan said hoarsely.

“ _Was_?” Anakin simply asked, his voice breaking nervously, desperately hoping it was nothing more than a slip of the tongue on Obi-Wan’s part.

"I am... _so_ sorry, Anakin," 

The force inhibitor collar had dispersed the miasma of the Dark Side that had been choking thick around Anakin in the sulfur air of Mustafar. Obi-Wan wasn't a fool. He knew those demons were still there. But at this moment Anakin all but resembled his young padawan again, and his heart bled for him.

Anakin shook his head quickly, eyes squeezing shut with tears burning in the corners. 

“N-No. _No_ , that’s not possible.” Anakin choked, any semblance of the light which began to sneak its way back into Anakin’s soul was now muted by the returning feelings of blinding darkness. “I don’t— how—“ He sobbed, tears pouring from his piercing yellow eyes. 

_How was this even possible?_

Anakin felt her, she was _alive_.

Obi-Wan could taste bile in the back of his throat but forced himself to push on. The wound needed to be cleaned before it could be cauterized.

“After our altercation, I took her to receive aid. She’d already gone into labor before we left Mustafar. There were... complications.”

He chewed on the words, contemplating giving Anakin the benefit of ignorance.

“Her body was under too much stress to cope with her wounds. She’s gone, Anakin.”

He granted Anakin the small mercy of sparing the details. The smothering cloud of the Dark Side that lingered across Padmé like a heavy shroud, continuing to suffocate and smother her like an echo of her husband’s final moments with her.

Anakin couldn't identify exactly what he felt in this moment; grief, anger, fear. All of his volatile emotions were only an easier gateway to the Dark Side, a path Anakin eagerly accepted. 

"This is your fault!" Anakin spat, knowing very well that none of this was Obi-Wan's fault at all. However, it was much easier to blame his former Master, just as he had with his mother. "If you hadn't come with her, then none of this would have happened."

"Oh, and what was your plan, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, working to keep his voice from rising. "Do you really believe Padme — a lifelong advocate of democracy— would approve of this new world order? Throw her arms around you in thanks?" 

They had this conversation already.

 _‘You have done that yourself,’_ He had told Anakin, before their brief but heated clash. 

"One way or another— you were the one who lost her that day. Driven away by your own actions." He said pointedly, an edge of emotion creeping into his voice that he couldn't suppress. 

Aayla, Plo Koon, Mace, however many hundreds more. His heart was still open and aching with grief.

“It doesn’t matter if she approved of it or not! She made a _commitment_ to me, and she would have stuck to it.” _Force_ , even Anakin didn’t believe the words he was saying now. He knew deep in his heart that Padmé would have always chosen her duty— her beliefs over him. 

“The whole galaxy is forced to go along with it now, just like she would have been. None of this matters because Palpatine is in charge now— he’s played this game for years, and there’s nothing you can do about it!” 

Anakin looked away sharply, tearing pouring down his eyes, his words aiming to hurt Obi-Wan as much as possible. 

Obi-Wan glared at him, "Do you think I would be here right now if I gave a _damn_ about the Empire or the Republic anymore?" 

It wasn't true, not really. Obi-Wan abhorred the Empire. But in order to survive through years of warfare one had to learn when to accept a loss, and where to choose your battlefield. He had no doubt someplace off in space a resistance was forming. By rights, he ought to be a part of it. But far more important to him now was to ensure that the Emperor never reunited with Darth Vader, or made weapons of his two children. 

“Then why are you here?” Anakin glared, “I didn’t ask for this!” He said holding up his hands for the restraints to appear in full view. 

It didn’t matter what Obi-Wan did, as soon as Palpatine knew he was alive it was over for _all_ of them. He knew the Emperor would stop at nothing to get his way, and unfortunately for Anakin, his fate would most likely be a cruel death by now— punishment for his failure.

As if on cue, the shrill distressed cry of a newborn could be heard from down the hall.

 _Was that a baby,_ Anakin froze. 

He had blindly assumed the baby didn’t make it along with Padmé...

“Is that—“ 

"That's your daughter, Anakin," Obi-Wan said quietly. The twins were barely a week old, but Obi-Wan had scarcely left their side in those handfuls of days. Leia was always the one to speak up first when something was wrong. 

"They need to eat. Every four hours, or so." He stood. "I need to prepare their formula. I will bring them in here to feed so you can meet them, but you _must_ promise to keep your temper in check while they are here." Obi-Wan went to the door, keeping a careful eye on Anakin. 

The force inhibitor collar was necessary, but unfortunately, it worked both ways. Anakin's temperament would be almost impossible to predict save for what the man could read on his face.

Anakin had barely spoken a word after this revelation — he had no idea what to say... _where to even begin?_ The baby had survived, and he could hardly contain his shock and relief. 

That is... until something else Obi-Wan said soon gained his attention. 

“They?” Anakin muttered to himself in confusion after Obi-Wan had escaped the room.

Leia's cries were still only a whining sort of fuss, but he knew full well that it wouldn't take long for her to work herself up to a hearty and healthy wail. 

"Ah, Master Obi-Wan," C3PO tottered after him in the hall. "I have detected levels of distress coming from Young Leia. I would like to inform you that there are two servings of formula currently warming in the kitchen."

"Thank you, Threepio."

"It has been precisely three hours, eight minutes, and twenty-four seconds since the twins last ate. Based on their current age and weights, I have calculated the precise amount that they will need—"

"Yes, thank you Threepio." Obi-Wan lifted Luke into his sling and Obi-Wan's chest and took Leia into his arms. 

Tiring as it might come to be, one of Bail's finest ideas was to have his technician download an extensive databank of programming that came standard with nanny droids into Padme's old protocol unit. In exchange for a few hundred languages, C3PO would be able to provide crucial assistance when caring for the young ones. 

Though personally, Obi-Wan wanted to keep as much skin-on-skin contact as possible. 

Despite her hunger, Leia quieted as they returned to Anakin's room. She peered at her father with dark eyes, looking eerily more alert than a child so young normally ought to. 

"AH! Master Skywalker! How wonderful to see you here!"

Obi-Wan closed the door behind him pointedly, leaving the 3PO out in the hall.

"Anakin, these are your children," Obi-Wan said softly, returning to the stool. 

If it weren’t for the reality that his relationship with Obi-Wan was incredibly tense at the moment, Anakin would have giggled from seeing his former Master appear like a distressed and exhausted mother. 

But for now, Anakin still despised Obi-Wan, _at least that’s what he was going to tell himself._

Anakin kept his distance, he could sense Obi-Wan didn’t want him close to the twins. Instead, he just gawked at them, disbelief in his shone through his eyes. _How he could possibly create such innocent beings after everything he’d done?_

“Padmé never told me she was pregnant with twins...” He simply said.

 _How could he have not known?_ Obi-Wan didn't agree with many things about Anakin's relationship with Padme, but at the very least— here in this one bright and beautiful part of their union— he would not presume to guess. 

"She named them. Leia. And this is Luke." Obi-Wan drew back the sling, revealing Anakin's son. His face was scrunched up with distress. Little fists balled as his arms struggled against the warm and clean cotton blanket. 

He took one of the warm prepared bottles out of the pocket of the sling, offering it to Leia who latched and began to drink right away. 

"They're strong. And healthy. I can tell they're going to be... beautiful." Obi-Wan stopped himself at the last moment, though he was quite sure that the pause at the end was imperceptible. 

_They're going to be immensely powerful._ Is what he was going to say. 

Already he could feel the thrumming energy of the Force alive like little flames inside of them. He did not want to raise a reminder to Anakin at his current captive state, as the collar would prevent him from feeling what was plain as day to Obi-Wan now.

Anakin relaxed ever so slightly, his eyes were still a sickly yellow color but at least his shoulders were beginning to slouch. 

"Leia has Padmé's eyes," he noted sadly, glancing down to the floor. 

"I didn't know she was pregnant until we returned from saving the _Chancellor_ ," he spat the man’s name with much vitriol. "All that time and she never told me. I thought she and I were—” Anakin shook his head, he didn't want to give Obi-Wan the satisfaction of confiding in him. 

He knew better than to ask for a chance to hold them, Obi-Wan wouldn't release him from his restraints so soon. Even if he did, what would Anakin do then? Defeat Obi-Wan enough to run away with the twins? 

_Then what?_

"Are they staying here with you?" Anakin asked, expecting Obi-Wan to send the twins as far away from him as possible.

"With _us_ , yes," Obi-Wan answered, keeping his eyes on Leia. His voice was carefully neutral and calm. "We're quite well hidden here. Only a very trusted friend knows of our whereabouts.”

Obi-Wan was quite sure the Emperor was looking for them at this very moment. But his eyes would be cast on the Outer Rim or even the dirges of Wild Space. Even in Coruscant, very few even realized just how much of the planet was packed with dense and rural forests just like this one. The Empire itself could occupy this planet, set up camp across the globe, and still never find their little cabin or the farming village it sat on the outskirts of.

“A trusted friend?” Anakin scoffed to himself. There was only one person in the galaxy with enough resources that Obi-Wan would trust to provide him with safe property. One of the only two politicians his former friend could stand... “Bail doesn’t know I’m here, _does he_?” 

The way Obi-Wan carefully avoided his eye contact answered more than he needed to know. 

“You lied to him?” Anakin sounded amused, the worst part of him enjoyed seeing how his _‘perfect’_ master could throw away his duty to stow away with a criminal of the Republic. 

However entertaining this revelation may be, Anakin wanted to know _why_. Why would Obi-Wan do this instead of just turning him into the remaining Jedi... or worse, to the Emperor himself? 

“You’re breaking Bail’s trust by having me here, but why? What’s the point if you’re just going to keep me restrained like a criminal?”

Obi-Wan sighed, hanging his head. 

"Bail Organa is a good man." Obi-Wan threw a pink cloud-patterned cloth over his shoulder, laying Leia across it and patting her back as C3PO had instructed him. "He would do anything to protect the lives of two young children. Their Empire-aligned father? I don't need him lying awake at night ten years from now thinking about you. The galaxy is better off believing you are dead."

Obi-Wan would need to be mindful of how he chose his next words, so Anakin needed to wait for him to complete the careful task of maneuvering Leia into the sling, and Luke out of it. When he was latched and feeding, he continued. 

"This is our home now," Obi-Wan said, hoping it made clear enough to Anakin his situation. "Whether you're here as a prisoner, or otherwise— that will be up to you. Whether you can prove to me that I can trust you with your freedom."

"You don't know me and I don't need to prove myself to _you_." Anakin huffed to himself, is that really what Obi-Wan thought of him now? 

He wasn't an idiot, he knew the Empire was _‘wrong’_ ... doomed to make many systems unhappy. But truthfully, Anakin couldn’t bring himself to give a womp rat's ass about the politics of this galaxy. He wasn't _Empire-aligned_ , but he wasn't Republic-aligned either. Anakin hated Palpatine _just_ as much as he hated the Jedi. 

The pursuit of power and control was a moot point now, he had acted to save Padmé and she was _gone_. Anakin had been nothing more than a pawn to Palpatine, a man who lied and manipulated him since the beginning. 

"If I had the chance to kill Palpatine right now, I wouldn't hesitate. I only want what's best for my children now, I don't care if that's the Empire or the Republic."

Obi-Wan blinked, surprised. 

That... wasn't what he had expected to hear.

Obi-Wan was tired. The last proper full night's rest had been on his ship on the way to Utapau to take out General Grievous. He had been fully expecting a long-winded and exhausting argument about how the Empire was the right solution for the galaxy, that the Jedi were evil and Palpatine's grand and glorious plan.

Obi-Wan didn't sense that Anakin was being dishonest, but it was terribly difficult to ascertain. 

_If you truly hate the Chancellor... why in Force's name would you betray the Jedi? What could have possibly driven you to such lengths_ —

Luke gurgled and coughed, squirming away from the bottle. Helpless, tiny. The most beautiful thing he had ever seen. 

Tears pricked the corners of his eyes. 

"You did it for them." He said thickly, hugging Luke close to his chest.

Anakin sighed, "I was having dreams of Padmé dying in childbirth... just like the ones of my mother. He told me he could save her life if I just joined him." 

Anakin had been absolutely sick to learn this man he once saw as a friend had been the Sith Lord this entire time. Palpatine had no intention of helping him save Padmé, but once he had aided in the death of Mace Windu... _Anakin was trapped._

The worst part? Had Obi-Wan not snapped him out of his murderous rage on Mustafar, Anakin would have been a mindless slave to that man and his Empire for the rest of his life. 

Had he been given the chance to kill Palpatine and take the power for himself, _he would have done it._

"The Chancellor may have been a Sith Lord, but he was still right about the Jedi Order." Anakin clarified with a frown.

"Anakin, please. I cannot discuss this with you now." Obi-Wan pinched his brow. It made him feel ill to hear the man he had trusted with his life countless times say such things about their culture, their family. 

Palpatine as the Sith Lord... his mind still reeled. Pulling off such a scheme took cunning beyond Obi-Wan's comprehension. Whether Anakin had been tricked, lied to, or otherwise to believe that the Darkness was the only way to save the life of Padme...

— _Unbidden, the horrifying memory rose up in Obi-Wan's mind once again. The blue holo of Anakin kneeling before Sideous. Calling him Master_ —

Obi-Wan nearly swayed where he sat, feeling light-headed. 

"Would you like to argue ethics and politics with me now, or would you like to hold your son?" He asked, watching Anakin with a careful, scrutinizing glare.

Anakin scrunched his nose, he absolutely did want to hold his son more than anything, but he needed Obi-Wan to understand that they were _not_ friends. He wouldn’t be so easily talked into a happy reconciliation between the two. 

It didn’t matter how desperately he craved his former Master’s forgiveness, Obi-Wan had turned against him. 

Palpatine had been right about him and the Jedi, they _never_ truly cared. 

“I would prefer to hold Luke, but you’d have to undo my handcuffs for that.” He noted, his voice annoyed.

"One step at a time," Obi-Wan said with a grim smile. "Hold your arms like so, I'll place him in them." 

Obi-Wan shifted the sling so that Leia was now slung around his back, not his front. He wanted Anakin to hold his children, but he was not willing to put both in easy arm's reach of him just yet, even if he was still bound. 

"You remember our mission to that moon off Remulon? You managed to hotwire a speeder while holding four shrieking puffbats, all while your hands were bound just like this. I think you can manage this while lying stationary in a bed." Obi-Wan laid out the little bundle of blankets in the crook of Anakin's arm. Having been fed and burped, Luke squinted sleepily up at his father. He clearly was not far from another long nap but was entranced as her sister was by the man before him.

“I remember,” he nodded. It was only because Obi-Wan couldn’t hot-wire anything to save his life. 

Anakin glanced down at Luke, his gaze is far more affectionate and gentle than anything Obi-Wan had gotten from him today. Luke was so small, his eyes the same deep blue as Anakin’s... _well, the blue they used to be_. 

“He’s perfect,” Anakin sighed happily, wishing he could feel them through the force.

It wasn't until he saw them there that it truly hit home for him. Out of everything that had happened. All the attacks, all the death. The hiding and the subterfuge. 

Beyond all of that. Anakin, _his Anakin_. The little boy who stole snacks from the kitchens of the temple and built a million little contraptions in his room. Anakin, who was at Obi-Wan's side for nearly half of his life, _was a father._

"They are." Obi-Wan agreed.

Anakin nodded, holding Luke a little tighter in his arms. 

The small child began to fall asleep once more, Leia following in her brother's footsteps, cuddled near Obi-Wan’s chest. For just a moment, all of them began to feel just the smallest semblance of _peace_ together. 

That is until C3PO came loudly bursting back into the room, "Master Ani, I came to check on the twins. My calculations show it is the perfect time for them to begin a nap. _Oh—_ have I interrupted something?" 

Luke began to cry, Anakin glaring at 3PO.

“What do you think Threepio?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics for Obi-Wan's lullaby is courtesy of GraceEliz on Ao3 <3
> 
> Visit [Crys](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/whohatessand) and [Jo](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/jswander) on tumblr! Come send us some asks and yell at us about the story! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	2. Prologue Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the kind responses!

The next two days passed relatively uneventfully. R2 repaired a faulty circuit breaker, C3PO got into a minor spat with the ancient laundry droid that sat squat in the mudroom. Clouds billowed overhead. A quick scattered shower caused the fields outside to violently bloom into mayhem of red and yellow blossoms. 

A few stray cans, buckets, and pots were set out to catch the leaks that seeped through the old roof.

During the day, Obi-Wan gave Anakin cautious freedom throughout the house. If he meant to keep Anakin imprisoned, there were far more suitable locations to stash him apart from Alderaan. This only went so far, however, as he insisted that the man stay confined and cuffed in his room, and wear the force inhibitor collar indefinitely. 

Their wounds were still too raw for trust.

While Obi-Wan did have his own bedroom, he found himself mostly sleeping on the large padded rocking chair in the nursery situated between the twin’s prams. It was a weathered, old, and terribly comfortable thing. Obi-Wan had a feeling it was something handed down from one of the villagers themselves _—_ sensing more than one generated raised on it. The Force sang warmly about it. 

Still, it could only do so much to comfort him from when he was only stealing snatches of sleep every few hours. For the first several weeks, the twins would only be sleeping a few hours at a time, and so too would Obi-Wan. 

He didn’t like to think about what needed to be done around the house before winter came, or how or when he’d find time to do it. The roof would need to be repaired, of course. The floor would need to be looked after well. The plumbing in the Fresher wasn’t working— Bail hadn’t even mentioned that during the initial tour. Obi-Wan could only assume that it was one of a dozen little surprises; there was simply no time to see it on such short notice. 

Obi-Wan could certainly try his hand at looking after these things in time - but he also didn’t want Luke and Leia to grow up thinking that their parent was a bronze-plated metal droid. While C3PO was invaluable to help with feeding, changing, and other minor tasks, Obi-Wan wanted their main source of interaction to come from a creature of flesh-and-blood. 

The only thing that troubled him with the plan, was that it left Obi-Wan with terribly little time to deal with the run-down state of the house. 

Or troubled Sith punching holes in the drywall.

It was for this reason that Anakin woke up that day no more irritated than he had been before - sick of being contained in a house like a _kriffing_ prisoner with _only one arm._

_Yes_ , Obi-Wan had even confiscated his arm away after Anakin had punched a brutal hole in the wall during one of his (what Obi-Wan calls) _‘temper fits.’_ He had more than enough reasons to be upset considering the situation between them. So what if his durasteel arm was capable of punching through drywall with ease? 

_‘You're not in the mental state to have a weapon on you,’_ Obi-Wan had told him when he woke up the next morning in a new, sadder state than he had previously thought possible. 

Though Anakin suspected Obi-Wan took his arm for the very same reason he took his lightsaber, out of fear that Anakin would use them on him instead. 

_Obi-Wan didn't trust him one bit, and Anakin did not blame him._

Anakin stomped out of his bedroom, his temper flaring. 

Anakin frowned at Obi-Wan who was sitting peacefully in the kitchen, enjoying a cup of hot tea. 

"Can I _please_ bathe today? I’m starting to stink, Obi-Wan. You've already taken every dangerous thing away from me, what could I _possibly_ do in the refresher?"

Obi-Wan set down his tea, considering Anakin stonily for a long moment. 

"I entirely agree," Obi-Wan said, at last, beckoning for Anakin to follow across the kitchen. "I think it's high time you got your arm back as well."

As they passed from one room to the other, the floor dipped down to the stonework floor of the old fresher. Obi-Wan pulled back the large sliding door, (which only stuck a little bit), to reveal a once-impressive refresher now treacherous with select spiderwebs and chipped grout. 

Anakin scrunched his nose in disapproval. 

"The plumbing will need to be seen too. The pipes don't bring any of the well water in." Obi-Wan explained as if briefing him on a mission. "I daresay the flu of the chimney to heat the water will need to be cleaned out as well. Fortunately, we already have a generous stack of firewood out the back."

Anakin glanced at him, completely baffled. _Obi-Wan wanted him to fix the plumbing?_

“Do look like a handyman to you, Obi-Wan?” He glared.

"Well," Obi-Wan said gamely, a smile tugged at his lips. He took Anakin's durasteel prosthetic from where it hung around his belt, trying not to look too satisfied at the opportunity presented. 

"Not with that attitude."

Anakin narrowed his eyebrows, an attempt to show Obi-Wan he was _not_ amused by the joke. 

“Fine, whatever,” he muttered under his breath. “I’ll need some time to rewire the neurotransmitters to my body.” Especially since Obi-Wan probably _kriffed_ up his perfect wiring when he stole the limb in his sleep.

"Of course, take your time," Obi-Wan said, his voice softening a bit with gratitude.

It took Anakin a little while to get his arm properly adjusted to him again. Even though it had only been a couple of days, he did not enjoy missing an arm and was incredibly grateful to have it back attached to him where it belonged. 

Internally, Obi-Wan was relieved. As much as he was determined to make this work on his own if need be _—_ he couldn't deny that there were some things to this new life that would be spectacularly more simple with Anakin working with him, rather than against him. 

The refresher was semi-detached from the house. From outside, he would be able to see Anakin working plainly enough. 

Obi-Wan moved the twins outside for some fresh air while the sun was shining. The two dozed in a hover pram on the porch while Obi-Wan busied himself with the stack of ancient terracotta pots piled up next to the shed and the supply of seeds with the other gardening supplies. 

He would feel a bit better about their medicine stores if he knew that there were a few choice plants in ready supply on hand.

Verbena, feverfew, echinacea was a good start. Chamomile flowers would be lovely as well as a handy supplement to the supply of tea in the pantry.

While most of the seeds in storage were for culinary herbs, he knew there were a few medicinal plants that grew native on Alderaan. 

He wondered if he could risk taking Anakin with him and the twins on a walk through the woods. He still didn't trust Anakin to leave him entirely alone and unrestrained.

It didn't take long for him to be up to his elbows in rich, damp earth. He was quite looking forward to a hot bath himself. There was only so long one could get by with just a tepid washbasin. 

-

Fixing the plumbing was simple enough, despite not having done it in a while, but growing up on Tatooine he had learned how to fix all sorts of useful things as a kid. Though it was laborious work, Anakin enjoyed the way tinkering quieted his mind. It was much better than the now constant state of anger and _grief_ he found himself trapped in. 

_It seemed like everything reminded him of Padmé._

Anakin switched on the shower. After a long, perilous moment, the pipes shuddered and poured out perfectly clean running water into the basin. The result had him smirking to himself for a job well done. Now it was time for the heater, but as he made his way out of the refresher something else caught his attention... _his own reflection_ in the mirror. 

Primarily the obvious Sith eyes that glanced miserably back at him.

Obi-Wan happened to glance over to the fresher to see how Anakin was progressing. Through the open door, he could see the mirror there _—_ as well as Anakin's mile-long gaze into it. With C3PO on the patio minding the twins, Obi-Wan drew cautiously to place himself in plainer view of the washroom without properly approaching it. 

"It's not permanent... I don't believe," He crossed his arms, making a conscious effort not to hug himself a bit tighter. "If it were, we would have seen them on Count Dooku after all."

_and Palpatine._

“Maybe they were just better at hiding it,” Anakin said, his tone vague and unemotional. “I remember Maul’s eyes as a kid, they were yellow too.” He shuttered at his own words, comparing himself to a man so consumed with his own hatred, that he could think of nothing else in the galaxy. _Is that what Anakin was now?_

Sometimes it felt like it. 

At night he would lie awake thinking of nothing else but his own rage, so much so that he sometimes didn’t even feel like himself anymore.

"Oh, Anakin..."

Obi-Wan hovered on the precipice. He longed to offer him some form of comfort. The desire clashed awkwardly against the bubbling resentment that Obi-Wan hadn't quite found the time or energy to properly release into the Force.

 _‘You have done this to yourself,’_ he had declared imperiously, on the molten planet. 

What was he to say now?

_It'll be alright._

_We can fix this._

_We'll work something out._

He dismissed each one in turn. Obi-Wan simply didn't know enough about the Sith to offer that kind of reassurance. 

Instead, a warm hand braced itself against Anakin's shoulder. Heavy, and solid. 

"We're hidden well enough here. Not just your eyes, but all of you." He did his best to say with his tone of voice and presence that he could not yet bring himself to say with his words.

_And I will keep you safe._

Anakin fought the urge to shove Obi-Wan’s hand off, his emotions still a volatile mess. Any semblance of gentleness from his former Master was a hurtful reminder of the events which had transpired between them. 

It wasn’t about the color of his eyes, but rather what they revealed of him. When Anakin looked into the mirror, he no longer saw Anakin... only _Vader_. 

_I know you’re angry with me,_ He wanted to say.

“I fixed the plumbing.” He said instead. “It should be working just fine now.”

"Ah, excellent," Obi-Wan said with a gleam in his eye. "Why don't you get it filled and I'll get the fire going to heat the water?"

Perhaps Obi-Wan had too long relied on the use of the Force to know how others were thinking. While it was easy to see Anakin was still troubled, it passed by Obi-Wan just how deep those feelings ran. 

Especially with the tempting promise of a hot bath.

In addition to the gardening, he had worked up quite a sweat that morning chipping away at the monolithic task of getting the house presentable. He had scrubbed at the windows in several of the rooms, working to clear away years of accumulated grime. It was quite worth it, with clean pure light now casting away some of the shadows. 

Unfortunately, it also cast light on to several other areas of mess _—_ cobwebs, spots of mold, chipped paint. 

Obi-Wan didn't enjoy the mess. He also didn't enjoy feeling the dirt beneath his fingernails. But he could bring himself to enjoy the feeling of working to absolve these things through hard work.

When Obi-Wan returned, Anakin shut off the bath, admiring how sparkling the Alderaan water appeared. 

“Uh _—_ you can... go first.” Anakin glanced at Obi-Wan uncomfortably, his cheeks flushing a bright red. “I’ll just be in the bedroom,” he refrained from referring to it as his prison cell, Obi-Wan wouldn’t like the joke very much.

"No, that's quite alright." Obi-Wan clapped his hands across one another, scattering the earth and detritus that had been on a few of the logs. The fire was now crackling busily at the furnace in the back, casting a haze of pine-scented woodsmoke drifting off on the bare breeze.

"This contraption wouldn't be running if it wasn't for you. Please, I insist." He gestured with a nod to the water, cleaning off his hands on the hem of his shirt. 

He did mean it, of course. Whatever Anakin had done to get it working was thoroughly beyond him. 

Anakin wasn't an idiot, he knew _exactly_ why Obi-Wan was hesitant to bathe. Obi-Wan was still terribly wary of letting Anakin out of his sight or letting himself be indisposed while Anakin had free reign of the house.

He would be lying to say the thought hadn't already crossed his mind, trying to determine how much time he would have to search the house for his lightsaber and run away with the twins while he still could. This was a horrible idea, and Anakin knew it. What would be the purpose? To get away from Obi-Wan who clearly meant him no immediate harm? 

_What other choices did he have?_

Running away to overthrow Palpatine on his own? Anakin certainly wasn't strong enough to do this with a force inhibitor around his neck. Even if he was somehow successful, would he take the power for himself, raise the twins on his own as Emperor of the Galaxy? 

Absolutely not.

As much as Anakin hated to admit it, staying here with Obi-Wan was the safest option for both him and the twins. 

"Obi-Wan, I'm not going to run away with the twins if that's what you're worried about." Anakin scoffed to himself, he couldn't believe he had to justify his choices regarding his children. _His_ , not Obi-Wan's. _His_.

"I'm just trying to be polite, Anakin," Obi-Wan said carefully. "I'm not worried about you running away... with the twins." 

"According to my calculations, such a plan would have a 384:1 chance of causing harm to one or both of the children." C3PO popped up from the porch, sounding tinny and distressed. "And as such, I must inform it would be my duty to- to- stand and oppose such an attempt with- with my… oh dear," He shook his head, clearly railing against the shoddy reprogramming.

"To start, you would have to get through Threepio." Obi-Wan gestured with his thumb and a dry smile. 

He sighed, running a dirty hand through his hair. "No, Anakin I know you won't hurt the twins. And I understand this situation we have going on is untenable as well. If I cannot trust you, I suppose I can trust that you understand that the time and energy it would take for me to hunt you down if you did try to escape would cause them neglect and harm by proxy." He mused, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

Anakin rolled his eyes, an exasperated sigh falling from his lips. “How is it possible that you’re still lecturing me about _my_ children like I’m some irresponsible padawan? We’re being hunted down by the Empire as we speak, and you’re fighting me on a kriffing _bath_ schedule!” 

"Well now, let's be optimistic. It's very possible Palpatine has assumed you dead. It wasn't as if a place like Mustafar was short on locations one could easily dispose of a body.” He chided, though Obi-Wan quickly realized Anakin's patience for his dry wit was running thin. 

Anakin clenched his fists, his eyebrows furrowing in anger. Obi-Wan constantly danced around the issues between them, and it was driving Anakin _absolutely_ insane. 

Over the last week, Anakin had lost practically everything, most of which were caused by _his_ own actions. His choices had damned his children into a life without their mother, and the galaxy left with a lunatic Sith Lord. 

Anakin was _so_ angry at everyone, but most of all... _himself_. 

“Why are you being so kind?” The words spat from Anakin’s lips, his eyes watering of fresh tears. “We’re talking about _plumbing_ after I killed Jedi. You should be so upset with me! You should have turned me over to the Jedi... to Palpatine... _to someone_! I don’t understand how you’re not furious with me?”

"Do not presume to know how I feel," Obi-Wan said icily. "Of course I'm furious. But unlike yourself, I understand that such rage is not productive to the task at hand.”

Luke had begun to fret and wail from the pram. Leia's sniffling cries followed shortly after as her brother roused her from her sleep. 

Obi-Wan sighed. 

"They're attuned to you, you must realize,” Obi-Wan said, heading over to the balcony. He retrieved Luke, hugging and bouncing him soothingly. “Consider your children before you are reckless with your anger here. Perhaps then I will stop treating you like a padawan. It's one of the first things we teach, after all." 

“Right, because you’re just so karking _perfect_ , aren’t you? You can’t do a single thing wrong.” Anakin matched the condescending tone in Obi-Wan’s voice. 

Muttering every Huttese swear word known to man, Anakin began to pace around the refresher, in an attempt to calm himself before getting far too worked up. If he had been some kid's holonet cartoon, there likely would be smoke fuming out of his ears by now. How dare Obi-Wan compare him to a padawan, to continue lecturing him on how to care for the twins?

From the porch, Obi-Wan sung snatches of the Blue Crystal lullaby to the twins, though they continued to fret and cry - irritable at being woken from their nap. Leia cried out - sharp and demanding from the pram.

The sound of wailing infants grew closer to Anakin until Obi-Wan stepped, gesturing for him to take Leia. 

"Here, please. Help me with them.”

Anakin nodded, his fury suddenly forgotten as he carefully took Leia into his arms. It was the first time he had been able to hold them with his arms restricted or handcuffed and Anakin would enjoy every minute of it. 

“It’s alright Leia, I’m sorry for waking you.” 

Obi-Wan watched the two of them as he continued to soothe Luke. 

_Thank you, Leia._

As Obi-Wan watched Anakin with his daughter, he privately made a mental note that he _could_ stand to give Anakin more time with his own children. He looked... _right_ holding her. Something close or akin to at peace. Anakin was right, of course, they were his children. 

Still, another deeper fear immediately surged and railed against the notion. 

Obi-Wan waking up in the night to find Anakin and the twins both gone, spirited away in some ill-advised attempt to re-join Sidious and his place in his new Empire. 

Luke fell back asleep with relative ease in Obi-Wan's arms, while Leia continued to whine and fuss.

"I'll take the first bath if you don't mind," Obi-Wan said at length. His voice was a very deliberate sort of calm as he returned Luke to his pram. 

"Can you... mind them while I do?"

Anakin raised an eyebrow, curious. He took a seat in the nearest chair, Leia still tight in his arms. 

“I won’t leave this spot.” He promised.

The spot allowed him to watch Leia while keeping an eye on the dozing Luke. Anakin didn’t expect Obi-Wan to spend a while in the bath, but this might be one of the few chances he had to spend with his children alone. 

Anakin knew better than to think he had earned his complete freedom.

-

Obi-Wan lowered himself into the steaming water, unable to suppress a low moan of delighted relief as his muscles un-knit, releasing stress that had become well-worked into his system. 

After so long, he allowed himself a few scant moments to relish the peace and quiet, before getting to work furiously scrubbing his hair and beard.

The Fresher was built in the old Alderaan style. It consisted of one large fire-heated tub, large enough for two or three people to soak in easily. The water drained into separate basins meant to be used for washing one's hair, face, and other extremities to keep the soaking water from being excessively dirty. 

Anakin had succeeded in fixing the plumbing, but the room itself still needed quite a bit of sprucing up. Obi-Wan cast a careful flick of a force suggestion to the spiders that occupied the corners and the ceiling to find a new home (the steam wouldn't do them any favors anyway) and made a mental note to bump this room up the list of places to give a thorough cleaning to. 

-

Outside, R2D2 rolled out onto the porch. It bumped itself against Anakin's side with a beep and a whurr.

"Artoo?" Anakin asked, his affection for the droid apparent in his voice. "What is it, buddy?" 

R2 chirped, his head moving from side to side as the small astromech complained about the status of the house. The flood board was such a mess, it made it difficult for him to roll around efficiently. Anakin couldn't fight the small smirk which formed upon his lips. 

"You're a genius, Artoo. How about _I_ fix the flooring?" Anakin offered and R2 beeped happily. If he had agreed to continue working on the house, Obi-Wan would _have_ to allow him slightly more freedom _and_ his arm. 

It was a decent compromise.

"I'll let him know as soon as he finishes in the bath.” 

················•·················

Obi-Wan was pleasantly surprised to hear that Anakin was interested in working on the flooring.

He had already learned the hard way about walking barefoot on it in the form of a nasty splinter in his sole. Having it properly fixed and sealed would help keep the bugs out— especially as the weather cooled in a few month’s time. 

As usual, Anakin thrived with a task to focus his mind and energy on. He was exhausted from sitting around simmering in his own anger— caring for the twins and fixing something (whether that be droids, ships, or the splintering floorboard) seemed to be the only time he could just _forget_. It was difficult to do that around Obi-Wan... so Anakin would take what he could get. 

Sometimes he was grateful for the force inhibitor, Anakin suspected it would be far more difficult to ignore his negative emotions if he could feel their intensity in the force as well. 

Obi-Wan continued to guard the twins closely, sleeping between them with his lightsaber at the ready at night. But he did agree at this point it was unnecessarily cruel to make Anakin try to manage with only one arm— especially if he was expending so much energy tearing up the rotten floorboards - and eventually would be nailing down new ones. 

Obi-Wan sat in the kitchen, a few days after Anakin had thrown himself into the task. 

Lunch simmered on the stovetop, a stew of mushrooms and the last of the fresh chicken. There was a freezer box in the cellar with some other cuts of meat, as well as some other cured meats that would last for months. After that though, they would need to risk a venture into town— unless they could stretch their supplies by foraging in the woods. 

It was for this reason Obi-Wan was studying a holo overviewing the local flora and fauna of this biome of the planet.

"...It says here that the lysonberries native to Alderaan just came into season," Obi-Wan spoke up cautiously, while Anakin worked on the floors. "Perhaps the four of us could take a walk through the woods to see if we can find them before the birds do."

Anakin paused as he gathered up the shredded boards to dispose of outside - surprised at the sudden olive branch. A strong part of him wanted to say no- to pout and insist that he wouldn’t do anything with Obi-Wan - but it would be worth it to spend more time with Luke and Leia. 

“A nature walk to pick berries?” Anakin scoffed a little. “Sure, why not?”

“Hm, hopefully, we’ll miss the rain,” Obi-Wan noted as they headed outside. The large billowing thunderhead making its way over the mountain ranges in the distance. They were still hours away, and with any luck might miss them entirely.

The twins were both bundled up in warm blankets and wool caps inside their pram. Anakin had made short work of the faulty stabilizer, allowing it to hover and follow along after Obi-Wan and Anakin with ease. 

Obi-Wan handed Anakin two wicker baskets that he had found in one of the cupboards of the kitchen.

“We’re looking for bushes with silver looking leaves. Apparently, they flourish in areas of higher elevation.” Obi-Wan gestured to the gentle slope up the side of the mountain. 

Obi-Wan glanced sidelong at Anakin as they walked through the underbrush of the lush forest.

“Have you surmised what planet we’re on, Anakin?” Obi-Wan asked. They might as well have been in another mission together as master and padawan from the gentle questioning tone of his voice.

“Well, if I had to guess by the fact that Bail gave you this house... I would say Alderaan.” Anakin’s tone was far from aggressive, but it wasn’t entirely friendly either. 

Anakin didn’t remember Alderaan very well, only that it was entirely different from Tatooine. Far less sand, and not near as urban as the lower levels of Coruscant. It was a nice planet, but he still preferred Naboo for its breathtaking waterfalls.

"Hm, that's a bit obvious of an answer isn't it?" Obi-Wan continued. "You did correctly surmise that Bail Organa knows of this location. But I never said that he was the one who gave me the house. Even still, he would have the power and connections to set us up anywhere in the system." 

It was an easy thing to do— to fall into the easy master-and-padawan cadence. Far easier than letting silence fester, potentially seeding the ground for more uncomfortable topics of conversation.

Anakin frowned. As if he didn’t know exactly who Obi-Wan’s friends were after so many years together. “Of course it was Bail Organa. You don’t trust any other politicians... well except for the Duchess.” He’s ashamed to admit he enjoyed bringing her up, it felt like cutting Obi-Wan exactly where it hurt.

Obi-Wan blanched, turning away from Anakin. 

"Very well. Perhaps we should continue to look in silence, then." He said stonily, continuing along through the underbrush.

“I-I’m sorry.” Anakin quickly apologized, “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Obi-Wan glanced back at him, looking a bit aghast. 

_Of all the things to apologize for._

The loss of the Jedi Order still loomed over him like an unfathomable weight. The loss is incomprehensible to face from day-to-day. His people, his _culture_. His failure to save Satine he knew would be with him always, but it was an old ache compared to a far more significant open wound. 

"It's alright, Anakin." Was all he could say - if only for lack of any proper words to address the pain.

The two lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, picking their way around old trees and mossy rocks. Scattered summer wildflowers bloomed furiously wherever patches of sunlight could make their way to the forest floor. Birds shrieked and sang, flitting across the branches. Every few steps they could hear the bustle and dart about of unseen creatures fleeing the large, lumbering pair of animals making their way through the underbrush. 

In what seemed to be no time at all, the billowing clouds above darkened in the woods.

“I know you wanted to pick berries, but maybe we should turn back before it storms. The clouds are looking a lot worse, and the twins could get sick from the rain.”

“Hm, yes I suppose so.” Obi-Wan assented, watching the sky grimly. He waved the pram closed, keeping the twins safe from the sudden chill of the dropping temperature outside. 

Obi-Wan would have to content himself with the knowledge that Anakin wouldn’t try to bolt out into the woods at the first opportunity was as valuable a thing to get from the excursion as a basket full of berries.

Once again though, it seemed the two had successfully managed to evade a very difficult conversation.

_How long could it go on?_

Anakin trailed behind Obi-Wan on the way down the mountain. By the time they arrived back at the house, the four of them had just missed the rain by the skin of their teeth. Not even five minutes after stepping inside, the water began to pour down from the sky. 

“Ah, Master Ani! I’m so glad you decided to come back, the storm is going to be much worse than originally anticipated.” 

“I’m sure it will be alright if we just stay in the nursery where the roof isn’t leaking.” Anakin groaned when he glanced into his bedroom, the water already leaking in, narrowly missing his bed. “Remind me to fix the roof next.”

“I don’t think you’ll need me to remind you,” Obi-Wan said grimly. “3PO, can you please take the twins to the nursery and get their next meal prepared?” Obi-Wan handed off the pram, rummaging through the kitchen for the stack of bowls and pans to layout to catch the drops leaking into the house.

-

The clouds continued to roll in thick and dark over the mountains. Pebbling droplets quickly swelled to full and heavy lashes of rain. The wind howled wet and fierce through the old trees that creaked and moaned in the early evening.

The bedding from Anakin and Obi-Wan's rooms were both piled up on opposite sides of the nursery, which remained mercifully dry.

Obi-Wan was in the middle of serving up bowls of the chicken and mushroom stew when the lights in the house flickered and snuffed out. A moment later, they faded back on in the main rooms of the house, as a distant hum kicked off in the distance.

“That’ll be the generator,” Obi-Wan said quietly, sitting down on his own pile of bedding on the floor. “Hopefully Artoo can locate where the power has been cut in the morning when the rain stops."

R2 chirped in response, offering to go look for it now even in the pouring down rain. 

“It’s alright buddy, the last thing we need is you getting hit by lightning.” Anakin patted the droid’s head calmly. 

Obi-Wan set out bowls of food but Anakin was hardly hungry. Growing up on a desert planet with no rain meant a storm like this always gave him a bit of nervous stomach ache. Well, that and Obi-Wan wasn’t the best cook in the world.

There were various rattlings all throughout the house, the howling wind outside had begun to shake anything and everything that wasn’t entirely stable, unfortunately for this house… that was most of it. 

Obi-Wan took a few gamely bites with a thin smile.

"Qui-Gon never cared for my cooking much either." He said fondly. "During the time we spent on the run with... with Satine _,_ we both were in agreement that survival cooking should be standard fare training for Initiates." It hurt to talk about Satine. And the Jedi. 

But languishing in silence was far worse. 

"What was that thing you tried making for us during our mission on Drettini?" He asked, in between bites. "That was quite good, I recall."

“It was something my mom used to make, an old Tatooine dish. It’s passed down from families so the recipe is a secret.” Anakin noted. 

He remembered a time once, hoping the war would end soon so he could teach Padmé all the recipes he knew. Of course, he had never expected her to become pregnant during the war... they had never discussed starting a family before. 

Looking back, Anakin realized there were many things they had never discussed before. 

“We were _married_ ,” Anakin said suddenly, looking down at his food. “Padmé, I mean. We weren’t just sleeping together. We got married at the start of the war, no one knew.”

Obi-Wan choked on his next bite. 

"The _start_ of the war?" He said, aghast. Obi-Wan hadn't been blind. It was difficult to miss the way Anakin would vanish whenever they had any sort of leave on Coruscant. Rather than spending his precious little downtime at the temple, he always vanished without fail. He had suspected there was something more between Anakin and Padme Amidala. However, with the Clone Wars underway, it was easy to kick the fear to the back of his mind.

Still, he had never suspected…

Anakin nodded slowly, “I was still a padawan. Do you remember when I escorted her home after Geonosis? Well...” He didn’t need to finish that sentence, Obi-Wan knew. 

"That must be, at least four years? _Married_?" Obi-Wan ran his hand through his hair, bowing his head. 

" _Force_ Anakin," The words tore out of him, harsher than anything he had said to him in days as real emotion finally managed to find their way to his words. "Why didn't you ever tell _me_ about any of this?" He demanded.

“How _could_ I tell you? You would have reported me to the Council— you were the Council!” 

Anakin set his jaw, pushing on. It felt good to let the anger flow. 

“You were just like the rest of the Jedi. When I thought Padmé was going to die do you know what Yoda said to me?” Anakin clenched his fists, his voice growing loud. “He essentially told me to get over it! Nothing more than useless advice!” 

Obi-Wan gestured gently for Anakin to mind his volume. 

"You told Yoda about Padme?" He asked, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. Certainly, he was the Grandmaster, but Obi-Wan had been his Master. Surely he should have been the first one Anakin would go to?

“Not exactly.” Anakin shook his head, “He didn’t know I was talking about Padmé.”

"Just that you were worried about your... your wife?" He did his best to keep his voice even, but the words were heavy and thick on his tone. 

It shouldn't have bothered him so, not after knowing that Anakin was a father. Surely being a husband would be no greater of a shock?

It shouldn’t be... but it was.

Anakin scoffed a little, “I would never tell Yoda I was married. He only knew I was having nightmares about _someone_ … I never even told Ahsoka.”

The only person Anakin had _sort of_ confided in was Rex, but that was only so his Captain could help him sneak away to call Padmé.

"Kark." Obi-Wan ran his hand through his hair again. "So you didn't tell Yoda anything. Of course, he gave you a standard answer like that. He probably thought you were talking about Ahsoka, or Rex. One of the 501st. Someone involved in a _war_." 

He closed his eyes, running his hand over his face. 

_Married._

_No wonder Palpatine was able to manipulate him so easily_. He realized, the guilt settling in. 

Obi-Wan had failed Anakin far more thoroughly than he had ever realized.

“This is exactly why I never told you anything!” Anakin erupted. “Even now, the first thing you did was defend the council! You always just sat there as Mace Windu or other Jedi dug into me constantly. You sat there when they turned against Ahsoka, _my_ padawan!”

Obi-Wan looked stunned, before settling into a deep, bone aching sadness.

“Yes well,” Obi-Wan set his bowl down. “I suppose you don’t need to worry about _Mace Windu_ anymore.”

Outside a bone-rattling clap and rumble of thunder shook the very walls of the house. It was almost eerie that the twins were somehow able to continue sleeping peacefully through it all.

Anakin pushed the food away from him, turning around and leaving the dry nursery to retreat into his damp, miserable bedroom. However, his movements were halted by an enormous crashing sound outside the house. 

“Artoo, get 3PO and stay with the twins,” Anakin demanded. 

R2 beeped, and Anakin ran outside in the rain, following the sound of the crash. 

Obi-Wan similarly had run outside at the sound.  
  
As suspected, one of the old mighty trees had fallen. He was relieved to see that it hadn't hit the house, shed, ship, or anything else vital. 

It was half as thick as an x-wing, split in half at the base revealing the interior of the wood white as a broken bone. It had narrowly missed hitting the power generator, with only several top branches scratching against the hull. 

The problem, however, was the flames licking the tree. It if managed to burn up the length of the trunk before the rain put it out, it could risk igniting the power generator and combusting it. 

"It must be moved," Obi-Wan yelled to Anakin over the roar of the storm as he joined him. "I’ll have to split the tree from where it’s still bound to the stump." He took a deep, meditative breath as he readied himself to move the trunk. Obi-Wan stretched his arms, focusing his energy on where the tree still clung to the splintered base without agitating the flames. 

"Go inside Anakin, stay with the children," Obi-Wan ordered over the rain and wind.

Anakin held his forearm over his head, attempting to block some of the rain from his eyes so he could see Obi-Wan and the burning tree clearly. “You have to let me help you!” He yelled over the storm. 

“Just take the collar _off_ , and I can help you, Obi-Wan.”

"I said go _inside,_ Anakin." Obi-Wan repeated tensely. He was focusing too hard on his task to worry about saying something clever. The end of the tree was slowly lifting, straining against the end bound to the trunk. He twisted it slowly from one side to the other, working to pry it free.

“Why? This is _important_ and you’re still not willing to budge? Or do you just not think I’m capable of lifting a kriffing tree?” Anakin knows he shouldn’t be picking a fight right now of all times, but Obi-Wan clearly needed help... help which Anakin couldn’t provide without the force.

"That's quite precisely the problem, isn't it?" Obi-Wan roared, rounding on Anakin with fierce eyes. 

Lightening cracked spectacularly overhead, lashing the world in brilliant burning white.

_"I know_ **_damn_ ** _well that you're capable of quite a lot_!"

Anakin groaned in frustration, “Just let me help! I’m not going to hurt or attack you. You can _trust_ me.”

" _Trust_ you?!" Obi-Warn finally snapped. The thunder that followed half a beat after the lightning split and cracked and rocked the earth. 

Obi-Wan dropped the tree and turned on Anakin in a fury. 

"I trusted you with my _life_ Anakin! For _years_!" He gripped his chest as if bracing a terrible wound.

"The Jedi _trusted_ you! They may not have given you everything you ever wanted the moment you desired it— but they were your family, Anakin! They were our family!" Tears were streaming down wild eyes as Obi-Wan rounded on Anakin, sending Anakin toppling back onto the wet and muddy grass. 

Obi-Wan's eyes were white and wide, something edging on feral madness there as the anger he had kept in check for days was finally unleashed with the storm. 

"Tell me," He said venomously. "Why should I trust you, when you never trusted me in turn? _I could have helped you, Anakin!_ "

Anakin was speechless, his heart racing as the rain continued to fall relentlessly. 

Obi-Wan was right... he had betrayed everything he ever knew. He allowed Palpatine to twist his mind so severely that Anakin isn’t sure he’d ever recover from it. 

His relationship with Obi-Wan may have been flawed, they certainly weren’t perfect... but they had been best friends and Anakin had tried to _kill_ him out of his own lust for power. 

Nothing he could say would ever make up for it. 

“I— you’re right. You have no reason to trust me, Obi-Wan.” Anakin said quietly, his voice breaking as tears began to roll down his eyes.

"What?" Obi-Wan laughed, sounding slightly hysteric as he did. "No retort about the Jedi being corrupt and evil? No smart words about how your actions were justified?" He threw out his arms, inviting the storm in. 

"Please, tell me again how our comrades you slaughtered deserved to die!" He challenged with a snarl.

Anakin shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut as tears continued to stream. 

“They didn’t Obi-Wan. I know it was taken too far, but Palpatine told me they were traitors to the Republic. I-I didn’t have a choice! He told me it was the only way I would have the strength to save Padmé.” 

He glanced towards the fire burning its way down the tree in a panic. “I-I’m sorry, I know it wasn’t right. I just wanted _peace_.”

 _"Then you are a fool!"_ Obi-Wan roared, throwing one arm out violently. A smaller sapling closer to the edge of the woods exploded into splinters are a rare bout of pure anger roiled off of him in destructive power through the force. 

"You don't _deserve_ to touch the power of the force! Only a fool would think that peace could ever be achieved through such violence!" Obi-Wan took a step forward again. "You allowed yourself to be _lied to and manipulated_! Like— like we all were." A fresh wave of tears rolled down Obi-Wan's cheeks, as all at once the anger bled out of him, releasing like bile out of an old wound into the Force. 

It hurt. It needed to be said. And it _hurt._

"We were all fooled." Obi-Wan fell to his knees, swaying dangerously in the storm. "The war, your betrayal. All of it." 

The Force inhibiting collar clicked and whirred. The latch opened, and the heavy device fell away from Anakin onto the sopping grass. 

Anakin gripped his head tightly, a surge of energy from the force swirled through him. Despite the chaotic feeling of a million voices calling out to him all once, he felt _alive_ again... like he could breathe again for the first time. 

"Go." Obi-Wan said, brokenly. "Leave. Or kill me. If you must do one, then do the other as well, I beg of you."

It took him a moment to adjust, his eyes fixed on Obi-Wan the entire time. 

“I won’t— I’m not going to.” Anakin cried, “I need you. I can’t... I can’t do this without you, with the twins.”

Obi-Wan averted his gaze, momentarily overwhelmed by the sudden surge of the powerful Force signature that was undeniably _Anakin_ flaring back into being before him. 

"What are you saying, Anakin?" He looked up at him at last, sounding vulnerable and raw.

“I’m saying help me with this _stupid_ tree so we can get back instead, where it’s dry, with the twins,” Anakin pleaded, he was genuine and kind for the first time since they’d gotten here.

Obi-Wan laughed, though it choked off into a sob at the very end. He leaned forward, his head touching Anakin's chest. 

"Yes, I suppose we should." His voice was raw, his body thoroughly soaked through. Obi-Wan grasped Anakin's arms, leaning on him as he was pulled to his feet. As the two aligned to reach out to move the tree, Obi-Wan could have sworn he felt his mind brush against the frayed and tattered edges of their old bond— though he shied away from it on reflection. 

They were not quite there yet, though as the behemoth tree was separated from the trunk and lifted away with ease— he couldn't help but feel some other heaviness deep inside of him finally tear itself free.

-

With the tree cleared away, Anakin and Obi-Wan half-carried one another back into the house. Compared to the raging storm outside, the relative quiet of the house was almost deafening. 

Not much of a word was spoken between them as they peeled out of their wet clothing. Obi-Wan retrieved a stack of towels, pulling Anakin toward him to wordlessly towel off his hair after they had both changed into something dry. 

It was something he had done a thousand times before over the years— for some reason Anakin's long wet, dripping locks had never bothered the man himself, even if it meant he'd be dripping all over himself and the floor around him. Obi-Wan hadn't asked, but also— Anakin didn't pull away. He allowed himself to be looked after— even only for a brief moment. 

Obi-Wan tucked a stray lock of hair behind Anakin's ear, and the two spoke nothing of it. 

In case there were any more close calls with the generator, they opted to power it down for the night. It was not cool enough yet to warrant the heater, and it was now late enough in the evening that there was nothing left to do but sleep until morning. 

Instead, half a dozen candles flickered dimly in the corners of the nursery in three large lanterns that they had found. They cast warm, cozy shadows across the walls and up to the ceiling. 

While they had initially piled their blankets and bedding up on the far walls opposite one another, somehow by the time the two settled down to sleep the blankets had been rearranged far more comfortably in the center of the floor, nearly overlapping.

Anakin sighed to himself quietly, his eyes glued to the dark ceiling as the calming patter of rain slowly pulled him into heavy exhaustion. For the first time, he could feel Luke and Leia through the force, a sensation so exhilarating Anakin wasn't sure he would ever get used to it. Even as newborns, he held such a strong bond with the two... Anakin hadn't felt a bond this strong since... 

Well, since _Obi-Wan._

The man was already sound asleep on the floor, exhausted and drained. He looked… old. Tired down to his bones. 

_Kriff,_ he had really messed up, hadn't he? 

Anakin kept his voice low so as to not wake the twins. 

"I'm gonna make it up to you, Obi-Wan. I _promise_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Visit [Crys](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/whohatessand) and [Jo](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/jswander) on tumblr! Come send us some asks and yell at us about the story! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who left comments and support on the work here!
> 
> The inspo for Anakin's new appearance in this chapter is based on [this](https://titillate1.tumblr.com/post/182553399355/my-edit-of-a-mature-anakin-skywalker-who-didnt) edit.

The slow climb toward absolution with his former master started with a rough first step presented shortly after the storm. 

"It's not reasonable for me to continue insisting you wear that wretched collar," Obi-Wan said, as the two pulled the tarp off of the stacks of new flooring that the movers had arranged in one of the empty rooms. Dust lifted and scattered as the sheet flew, catching motes of light in the shafts of pale green sunlight through the windows. 

"But going forward we're only to be using the Force for emergencies. Here, help me with this." Obi-Wan lifted one of the large floor panels to start laying them out. "When I asked you what planet we might be on, you guessed correctly — we are on Alderaan. We can't trust that Palpatine won't be able to pick up on our signatures. Small tricks or pushes are fine. Our stunt with the tree was likely lost in all of the natural power being flung about by the storm. But going forward, no heavy lifting, no cutting corners. It goes for both of us." He put his hands on his hips with a grim smile.

"Like you said, he’s probably just assumed we took each other down on Mustafar by now.” Anakin shrugged, picking up the next panel “He would need a reason to search for us in the first place. As long as we’re careful around others in town we should be fine." Anakin added, running his fingers across his chin where a decent amount of stubble had begun to grow. 

It was unusual for Anakin to be anything but bare-faced. "I don't know how you deal with this. It's only stubble, and it's already _so_ itchy."

The two of them lifted up a floor panel, walking it out to the main room to lay beside the first. 

"There is a shaving kit beside the washbasin in the refresher." He said, as they placed the panel in place in the main room. He stretched experimentally, rolling one shoulder. _When had he gotten so out of shape?_ "If you'd like, I can show you how to use them with the absence of a Fresher droid with facial grooming functions." They came standard on Republic ships and bases. All the way out here, however, Anakin would likely need to learn how to make do with a straight razor.

"Alternatively, a beard could contribute towards our efforts to lie low."

“Well, I was actually,” Anakin grunted, pulling up another piece of the floorboard, setting it to the side, “...Thinking about keeping it. I know it’s different for me, but I thought it would help hide my identity from bounty hunters.”

"If there was ever a time to try, it would be now." Obi-Wan agreed. With the full row laid out, Obi-Wan turned to the toolbox in the corner. 

Without thinking, he reached out, summoning the hammer to him with the Force. It took him half a moment to realize what he had done before he laughed apologetically. 

"I suppose this will take a bit of getting used to." He tossed the hammer back into the box, walking over to retrieve it manually.

“What? No comments about how you’re the only one allowed to have a beard? How you wear it better?” Anakin raised an eyebrow, “Who are you and what have you done with Obi-Wan?” 

"I think you'd look quite handsome with a beard, actually," Obi-Wan said, focusing a bit too intently on aligning the floorboards properly to focus on his words. 

“ _Oh_ ,” Anakin’s cheeks flushed slightly, he never knew how to react with such compliments.

"Come, look here — does this look even?"

“Yes, it looks fine.” Anakin assured him, “If we’re going to fix the roof too, we’ll need supplies for it.”

"And supplies mean going into town." Something that Obi-Wan was not looking forward to doing. He sighed. "Putting these floors down will take the better part of a week to get done. In the meantime, we should make a list of other things we may need. Each trip means leaving the twins alone for the better part of three or more hours. I would prefer to minimize this as much as possible until they're old enough to make the trip as well."

Still, the idea of going into town now caused Obi-Wan considerably less stress than it would have previously — before he decided he needed to trust Anakin.

“We can just leave while they’re napping, and Artoo can come with us. He can keep in contact with Threepio just in case they wake up. Don’t worry, we’ll be able to come back quickly if anything goes wrong.” Anakin wouldn’t leave the twins alone if he didn’t trust these two droids with his life, they had proven themselves time and time again during the war.

“While we’re in town, I was thinking maybe I could get some new clothes? I know Bail supplied a lot of clothes for you but they’re a little,” Anakin gestured down his exposed ankle, “... _Short_ on me.” 

Obi-Wan’s clothes were enough to get by, but considering his former Master was much leaner than him... they could be uncomfortably tight from time to time.

"Ah yes, of course." Obi-Wan noticed lamentably. "We'll have to see to that as well."

The two worked in the afternoon, without much else spoken between them. Their work punctuated here and there by brief breaks to see the twins, helping 3PO when they cried or needed additional tending to.

In that time, the two had come up with a dozen other little minor things that could help make things a bit easier for themselves — most of which were listed by Anakin after he took a more thorough look through their toolbox to list what was missing, and would be needed to make further repairs. 

It was slow going, but by the time the heavy yellow moon rose into the sky the two had managed to re-floor the living room. It wasn't much, but there was something immensely satisfying to be had working with one's hands that Obi-Wan couldn't help but feel deep in his bones as he sat on the porch and breathed in the summer night air. 

Dinner had once again been an abysmal affair, but one he couldn't help but feel hopeful to improve upon as well with time.

  
  


················•·················

  
  


The next two weeks passed by relatively uneventfully. 

The two made slow, steady work on the floors. Tearing up the old, rotten floorboards and replacing them plank by blank with the new ones. Fortunately, the weather held during this time, blessing them with a reprieve from the rain. The late Alderaan summer brought warm breezes in the daytime and relatively cool evenings, thick with the sounds of buzzing insects in the trees. 

The new floor, combined with cleaned windows and dusted ceilings already made a significant impact on the livability of their new home. Of course, it would all be for nothing once the storms came while the roof was still leaking. As they neared completion, Anakin split his daily tasks to see to the speeder that had been parked near the shed. He made quick work of looking through the engine, greasing gears, and cleaning gauges. After two grime-streaked afternoons, he proudly announced it fit for purpose for a trip into town. 

As they worked, there remained a cautious sort of distance between Anakin and Obi-Wan. The two had established a routine of rising early and throwing themselves into their own half of the various day's tasks. 

They shared surface-level and polite conversation during their scant meals before collapsing in mutual exhaustion in their separate bedrooms. They would then catch whatever sleep they could before taking shifts feeding and comforting the twins — who were beginning to sleep for longer stretches throughout the night. 

The day of their trip into town was warm and bright.

Anakin pressed a tender kiss to Leia’s forehead as he gently laid her down to the crib. Luke had already fallen asleep easily, but stubborn Leia was another story... She was so much like her mother.

Finally, Anakin had gotten them both down for a nap. With a sigh of relief, he stepped out of the nursery clothing the door quietly behind him. 

“Alright Threepio, we’re only going to be gone for a few hours. They _should_ sleep the entire time, but just in case anything happens, contact Artoo.” 

“Master Ani, I _must_ advise against this.” 

“We don’t have another choice, we need supplies for the roof and clothing. It would be a lot more dangerous if only one of us went, but the twins are safe here.” Anakin assured, “Remember, if anything happens to me and Obi-Wan, you contact Bail as a _last resort_.” 

Anakin headed out to the front of the house where the others were waiting. 

“Are you two ready?” Anakin asked Obi-Wan and R2.

R2 beeped an immediate affirmative from his pod in the front of the speeder.

"I suppose so." Obi-Wan agreed, moving over to the driver's position, gesturing to the sidecar for Anakin. While Anakin had given Obi-Wan no reason to distrust him in the past fortnight, he considered his own style of driving to be a bit more suited to a quiet countryside, where they didn't want to draw attention.

He still didn't feel good about the blaster hidden in a compartment in the speeder. He would have felt much better with his lightsaber clipped to his side. But in the event of an attack, it would be far more hazardous to have such an immediate giveaway to their identities on his person. 

The two took off, and Obi-Wan was pleased to find that the speeder drove like it was fresh out of the factory. He followed the instructions Bail had provided. A long, winding dirt road lazily made its way through a brief cove of trees, followed by reams of wildflower-choked fields. As they continued on, this gave way to endless rows of crops, orchards, and pasture where herd animals roamed or dozed. Stone walls or lines of bramblish trees sequestered off large squares of property that rolled off across the hillside.

Every now and then on the trip, the two would pass by someone working in the fields, who would raise a perfunctory arm in recognition. Obi-Wan returned these in kind, as it seemed to be the custom.

“I never knew there were such quaint rural areas in Alderaan,” Anakin yelled over the loud roar of the speeder. The only area he’d seen of this planet before was the capital city where Bail lived - rather large with lots of huge buildings and palaces, nothing like this place. 

  
  


-

As the sun rose high in the sky, the two arrived at a lackadaisical sprawl of little shops and houses. They pulled in a designated area off the cobbled path to park the speeder. 

Anakin was the first to step out, stretching his arms overhead. “Should we leave _the things_ in the speeder?” He gestured to the compartment which held their emergency blasters.

"...Yes, I should think so." Obi-Wan scanned the village carefully. "Look around Anakin. You don't need the Force to see we've already drawn a few eyes." He smiled and gave a short wave to a man walking along with a herding dog at his heels, as the farmers had to them coming into town. The old man nodded genially and continued on his way. 

"There can't be more than a hundred people living here. We'll sense danger miles off. Carrying weapons with us will only draw more eyes and whispers." He powered down the speeder, locking it. 

"The village believes we've moved out to the countryside to live a peaceful life enjoying nature and the isolation. Let's not give them any reason to suspect otherwise." He grasped Anakin's shoulder comfortingly, as he had done so often over the years.

“Right,” Anakin looked at Obi-Wan as he raised a curious eyebrow. “What are our names? I can’t imagine Anakin and Obi-Wan are going to fly here, especially considering both of us were high profile Jedi during the war.” 

That was another reason Anakin had decided to grow out the beard after all, it made him appear different than the holonet’s _Hero with No Fear_ . He was surprised he had done a decent job growing facial hair over the last few weeks, but it _still_ itched like crazy.

"I'll go by Ben," Obi-Wan said, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets as the two made their way down the street into the town square. It was hardly necessary in the warm summer weather, but his habit of covering up in the safety of multiple layers seemed to extend beyond the comfort of his Jedi robes. 

"What would you like me to call you here?"

Anakin stroked his beard as he thought, mimicking Obi-Wan in the process. “I’m gonna go with Kitster, he was my best friend growing up on Tatooine. Kit for short.”

 _"Kit?"_ Obi-Wan looked over at Anakin, sounding pained.

Before Obi-Wan had sent the message warning the Jedi to flee, he had seen the Nautolan’s name among the list of those who had perished in that first lethal wave of death from Order 66.

Anakin cringed once he realized what he’d said, “You know on second thought, maybe that’s _not_ the most appropriate name.” 

His eyes lit up suddenly when he realized exactly what he should name himself. “ _Ashmi Lars._ I know it’s a little similar to Shmi Lars but no one here would ever know.”

“Ashmi,” Obi-Wan’s voice still sounded a little weak. He tasted the name, feeling far better of this one's origins. “Yes, I think it suits you quite well.” He managed a smile, though the ghosts of those they lost still lingered in the fine lines about his eyes.

  
  


-

  
  


After asking around a bit, the two managed to ascertain where to find a general goods store that sold some building supplies.

“Bruno will have some clothing for sale there as well, but you should take a look at the Community Center also.” A genial older woman with a round red face and a kind smile told them. Her name was Letta, and she had taken a keen delight in being the first to formally meet the men who had moved into the old house past the farmland.

“We keep a collection thereof secondhand clothing. You’ll likely find a better selection there than the general store, he only gets a few new pieces in each month. They’re donations as well, so you can save yourself some money.”

“Perhaps we should split up then,” Obi-Wan suggested. “Take the speeder to the Center, then meet me at the store. I daresay we'll be in there a while sorting out the details.”

Anakin nodded. "I'll see you in a bit, Obi-Wan," he reassured him, hopping in the speeder to follow Letta's directions to the Community Center. 

"So, you must be the new writer who moved in with the young ones." Letta smiled warmly at Obi-Wan, "Your husband seems like a very nice man as well."

Obi-Wan generally considered himself to be quite good at his feet — negotiating tricky situations with Separatist forces for years. He had calmly lied and bluffed for his life in the face of menacing generals and barbaric Darksiders. 

The kind old woman with the flower-patterned apron left him thrown. 

"Married? No! Goodness," He laughed, relieved to have not blown his cover so quickly by swearing by the Force of all things. "No, he ah — we are looking after his children together. For the time being. But — no nothing like that." He was quite relieved that Anakin wasn't there to witness what must have been a truly spectacular flush out to his ears.

“Oh!” Letta laughed, doing her best to appear apologetic. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to assume. In small villages sometimes we can get a little carried away with gossip about the new residents. I’ll make sure to straighten out the story if anyone asks.”

“Ah, if you could, I would be quite grateful,” Obi-Wan said, with a polite bow of his head. 

Alderaan historically was a place that had no cultural qualms with same-sex unions, but Obi-Wan didn’t like to consider the potential fallout of a grieving widower like Anakin hearing such things.

After the brief flummoxing, Obi-Wan slipped back into his usual charming self, naturally but perfunctorily winding down the conversation with Letta so he could be on his way.

Obi-Wan’s thoughts strayed back to the twins, wishing R2 was nearby to check on Threepio and how the twins were doing. 

It was then that Obi-Wan realized like an ice-cold punch to the gut that he had well and truly allowed Anakin to take off on his own; 

_with the speeder,_

_two blasters,_

_and Obi-Wan hours away from the twins in the middle of nowhere._

Obi-Wan threw his hand out, braced against the side of a building as he cast his mind out with the Force, searching for Anakin with breathless desperation. 

When he sensed the flickering, glittering gold presence of Anakin Skywalker just a way up the road in the tall Community building near the bell tower he nearly collapsed with relief.

"Get a hold of yourself, Kenobi..." Obi-Wan pressed his hand against his chest, forcing himself to breathe.

Meanwhile, Anakin could feel Obi-Wan reaching out to him through the Force, he shook his head slightly with a small laugh. Closing his eyes he pulled at their former bond, _Whatever happened to only using the Force if absolutely necessary?_

Obi-Wan blanched, embarrassed at getting caught out. 

With their training bond so long out of use, Obi-Wan didn't catch much more than a general sense of smug satisfaction, a whiff of chagrined frustration echoing out from Anakin's presence in the force. It was sad in a way, to see how plainly the two had become closed off from one another over the long years. 

_It must have started back at Geonosis,_ Obi-Wan realized, walking across the town square to the general store. That would have been when Anakin first started pulling away from him, shutting things off. Only using their bond when necessary. 

Obi-Wan should have realized far sooner that he was losing him. 

Still wary about the frayed and broken bond, Obi-Wan let a ripple of apologetic air bounce back to Anakin before he made his way inside. 

Bruno, much like Letta had the same slew of generic bland questioning that Obi-Wan replied to with his usual charm and aplomb. 

The account Bail had set up for them extended to a tab at Bruno's shop, which made the arrangement of roofing supplies very straightforward to manage. 

"I helped outfit that old house, you know." The mustached man said, leaning casually on the counter. "Had a feeling you'd be dropping by. We have enough tack, sealant, and shingles to get about half the job done. The rest of the supplies should be in from Alteronn by the time you're done with that." He pulled out a catalog from behind the counter. "There are a few more things here that the house will need before the winter comes. I took the liberty of circling what you'd best get to order before the weather turns."

"That's... _immensely_ helpful, thank you."

"Let's be thanking each other. We don't get many big jobs like this in a small town like this."

-

After finishing up at the Community Center, Anakin made his way back to the general store, carrying bundles of more properly suitable clothing.

Obi-Wan came out to meet him shortly after, with his own purchases in tow. Anakin could sense his former master’s immediate relief, seeing Anakin there where they promised to meet. 

“Here, let me help you.” Anakin offered, taking some of the housing supplies from Obi-Wan’s hands, hoping to speed up the job. 

He dusted his hands off thoroughly before placing them upon his hips. “Can I ask you something?”

"Can it wait until we're back at the house?" Obi-Wan said, throwing his leg over the side of the speeder. He was a bit tired already and tempted to hand the reins over to Anakin for the return journey. They would certainly make it back more quickly if possibly not all in one piece.

Anakin frowned, glancing around quickly to ensure they were alone before setting into the sidecar. “No, I... I just wanted to know where you’re getting the money to pay for all of this?”

Obi-Wan revved up the speeder, taking off down the road. He took it at a reasonable speed while they were still within the limits of the town. 

"I told you, Bail was able to make arrangements for the house." He explained as if that were obvious. "It was very short notice, and he knew the house would need repairs. He was kind enough to set funds aside to cover the rest of the work that would need to be done, as well as enough to ensure we could look after the twins."

Anakin quickly nodded, settling into the seat as he furrowed his brow curiously. They remained silent for a moment, only the growing commotion of the speeder’s running engine. 

“So have you and Bail ever... _you know_...” He asked suddenly, “It’s just that, he gave you a house and a bunch of money for whatever you need. It just kinda seems like he’s...” Anakin blushed awkwardly, leaving Obi-Wan to interpret the rest of that sentence on his own.

Obi-Wan responded by revving the engine, causing the machine to lurch and take off at a breakneck pace through the countryside, the wind drowning out any chance at conversation. 

-

By the time the two returned to the house, the sky had turned a rosy shade of pink, the clouds burning gold off the light of the setting sun. 

C3PO came out to greet them as they pulled up the road, announcing they had arrived twelve minutes and fourteen seconds after the twins had settled down to another nap. 

Obi-Wan breathed a bit easier after getting the news. 

"I also bought a steak and kidney pie Bruno's wife baked," Obi-Wan told Anakin as they untied some of the parcels. "I thought you might like a break from my cooking."

Anakin replied in turn with a sly and knowing look, prompting their earlier conversation. 

"Very well," Obi-Wan said, weighing Anakin down with several large bundles to bring into the house. "Once or twice, Bail and I. While you were still a padawan." He confessed. "Of course it was never anything serious."

“Well, it was serious enough for him to give you a house and money when you needed it,” Anakin noted, following Obi-Wan inside with a bundle of supplies. 

“It definitely seems like he’s your hutt-honey now.” Anakin quickly realized Obi-Wan had no idea what he was talking about. “Oh sorry! hutt-honey is Tatooine slang for _sugar daddy_. At least, I think that’s what it’s called in basic.”

"I know what it means!" Obi-Wan barked, dropping Anakin's clothing on the floor inside the threshold of the man's room. " _And he is not_ _that_. Bail is a dear friend with a large heart. He'd likely do something similar for anyone on the run from a corrupt government with two small children in tow."

Obi-Wan crossed his arms, leaning against the wall of the hallway. 

"The money he gave us was a once-off gift. It's not insignificant, but also not enough to retire on. Not by a long shot. Once the twins get a little older we'll need to explore avenues of making a living out here. Extending our means by farming and hunting in the woods would not be remiss either." He mused, stroking his beard.

Anakin waved him off, he didn’t want to stress about making a living just yet. “Ok fine,” He surrendered, throwing his arms up in the air dramatically. “Bail is not _that_.” He still gave a small smile, holding back a bit of laughter.

“It sure _seems_ like you trust politicians after all.”

"Trust me, being far away from politics is one of the things I'm most looking forward to while living out here." Obi-Wan fired up the oven, getting the pie warm. With that taken care of, he made a beeline for the nursery to check over the young ones. 

As 3PO said, he found the two of them dozing peacefully. Obi-Wan carefully picked up Luke, holding him close and breathing in the scent of him. As he did, he felt himself relax at last, pacified by the steady beating of the boy's small but strong heart against his own. 

Anakin stood in the doorway of the nursery, watching Obi-Wan hold Luke so gently, feelings of jealousy beginning to stir deep within him. 

These were _his_ children.

Anakin clenched his fist, trying to calm himself from the possessive instincts. It wasn’t wise for him to feel these things while grappling so closely with the Dark Side. 

_Jealousy. Possession. Control._

These were the things which had been Anakin’s undoing. If he truly wanted to mend his relationship with Obi-Wan, he couldn’t allow them to warp his mind. 

_Kriff_ , but it was difficult as he watched this man hold _his_ son.

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan said carefully. He didn’t turn around, but he could sense the dark side roiling off of Anakin like sour smoke.

“Nobody is stopping you from being there for your children.” He turned to face Anakin, Luke peeking sleepily up at his father.

“Here, hold him.”

Anakin recoiled from him. “I never meant for you to feel that, I’m sorry.” He shielded himself off further from Obi-Wan’s read. “It’s difficult to fight my emotions right now.” 

He looked at Luke sadly, “I know you’re not trying to steal them from me. It’s just—“ Anakin stopped himself with a sigh, he wasn’t sure where to even begin. 

Something inside him just felt defeated. 

“I’m gonna go change my clothes,” Anakin would have said anything he could to excuse himself from that moment. 

Heading back to his bedroom, Anakin picked the pile of clothes off the floor. He grabbed the colored flannel on top along with a pair of black pants and a worn but well-made pair of secondhand boots. The flannel was much looser on him in contrast to the pants which pulled on the muscles of his legs. Still, they were the proper length and didn’t pinch as Obi-Wan’s things had. 

It felt strange to be in anything other than his traditional Jedi robes, but he would get used to it. Pulling his shoulder-length hair into a messy low bun, Anakin sighed. 

An overwhelming sadness consumed him. The wedding band he’d secretly worn around his neck for years suddenly felt much heavier.

Obi-Wan lingered in the nursery a short while longer. Luke waved his small fists, squirming as Anakin left. He took a few deep breaths, collecting his thoughts before heading down the hall.

"...Today was a good day," 

Obi-Wan said, lingering in the hall outside of Anakin's rooms, rubbing Luke's back soothingly. "But... they won't all be. It's just us now, Anakin." He said softly. 

"Perhaps... if I had told you, let you feel what you did when you were younger..." He let the thought trail off, the possibility of a life that was gone fluttered away into the dark and dusty corners of their world. 

"Perhaps things would be different. But, all we can do now is try to move forward." He gestured once again for Anakin to take his son.

“You don’t get it. It’s my fault they’re going to grow up without their mother.” Anakin looked down, his hands fidgeting in his lap. “What about when they’re older — when they want to know what happened to her? What am I supposed to say to them, Obi-Wan?” 

“They already love you, you haven’t done anything to harm them.” Anakin mused, rubbing the back of his neck. “Maybe... I’m not supposed to be in the picture.” He couldn’t help but feel it was the _perfect_ punishment, a life separated from them. He didn’t deserve a happy ending with the twins after he helped damn the galaxy they’d grow up in. 

“I should have just let you take me down on Mustafar. It would have been much easier that way.”

Obi-Wan took a step into Anakin's room, leaning against the lintel of the door. 

"When they ask about their mother... we'll explain it to them together." He promised, quietly. "As for being easier... yes. It's often much harder to live with the burden of your mistakes." He agreed, letting a gentle silence lapse between them. 

In the distance, an early evening owl was beginning to hoot softly from the treeline. Insects kicked up a twilight buzz. 

"I don't have all the answers. I just know... I certainly can't fix that roof without you." He smiled sadly. "Why don't we start with that, and see how we feel about exile and isolation after?"

“Alright,” Anakin nodded slowly. “I’ll start on the roof in the morning. It would be too dangerous for me to do it at night.” He glanced over Obi-Wan’s shoulder to the kitchen. “That pie you put in the oven should be done soon, I’ll go get it ready for dinner.” Anakin offered, standing up from the bed where Obi-Wan could fully see his change of clothes for the first time. 

“What do you think? Does it look bad?”

Obi-Wan looked Anakin up and down. 

"Not bad." He shook his head. "Just different."

“As long as people don’t recognize me. I don’t want to bring any trouble to this village from the Empire.” Anakin began to head towards the kitchen, his thoughts racing a million miles per hour. “Do you think he’s still using the clones?”

"I don’t know.” Obi-Wan said truthfully. “There was no time to check." He had scarcely time to consider their fate in the short span of time it took for everything to fall apart. It was painful to think of, here in the snug, summer-warm air of the kitchen as Anakin brought a hot pie to the table. 

Obi-Wan handed Luke off to C3PO, who brought him back to the nursery to re-join his sister.

"I daresay there's quite a lot going on right now. Out there." He stroked his beard somberly.

“You’re right,” Anakin said quietly, taking a knife to the pie when he suddenly froze in his tracks. The new realization clutching at his heart painfully, his knuckles turned white from the hard grip around the kitchen knife. 

“Obi-Wan...” His expression was concerned, “We sent Ahsoka to Mandalore with the clones, she was with them when Order 66 happened.” 

Anakin had been so preoccupied with everything going on here, he had completely forgotten about Ahsoka’s situation. 

_How could they just leave her?_

Obi-Wan sighed, bowing his head. 

"The thought had occurred to me." He conceded. "There's nothing we can do for her, Anakin. Ahsoka is resourceful. We just assume she found a way to survive."

“Nothing we can do?” Anakin glared, “If she’s alive, then she’s out there and maybe needs our help. I could find her and bring her back here with us!”

“Or the Empire can find you and take your children away from you!” Obi-Wan said sharply, his hackles raised.

“You may not give a damn about your own life anymore, Anakin. But it’s not _your life_ anymore. It’s theirs!” Obi-Wan gestured to the nursery. “If you truly wish to atone, the greatest thing you can do to resist the Empire — to help our friends — is to make sure that every Skywalker in this galaxy remains hidden from Palpatine.”

Anakin nodded, his eyes returning to the pie as he continued to slice it into pieces. “It’s just… she was my responsibility once _too_ , just like they are now. It’s hard to leave her fate up to chance. But you’re right,” He added sadly, placing a piece of the pie on a plate for Obi-Wan. “It’s too risky right now.”

The meal processed in an awkward, tense sort of silence. It truly was a shame, as the pie was fantastic.

“One of us needs to cook like this.” Obi-Wan declared near the end of the meal. Both men had chanced one more slice than was likely necessary. After so many nights of bland stew and tasteless cooking, the flakey, savory meal was an immensely fulfilling departure. It was difficult to maintain a somber mood when one's stomach was warm and pleasantly distended.

Anakin smirked. “I’ll add cooking lessons to my list of things to do, but the roof comes first.” He teased in a familiar manner. “Though if anyone needs cooking lessons between the two of us...”

Obi-Wan laughed, throwing his head back. He realized with a shock it might very well have been the first proper laugh he has since... well, he thought he might have said Utapau — but longer than that really.

The war had been a long one indeed.  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Visit [Crys](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/whohatessand) and [Jo](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/jswander) on tumblr! Come send us some asks and yell at us about the story! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note - the rating for this story has been updated! Thanks again so much to everyone who commented and kudos'd the work so far <3!

Anakin and Obi-Wan continued to work on the roof, pulling up old shingles, replacing them with new ones. The bare collection of secondhand furniture that had been sequestered into the driest rooms and covered with tarp to keep dry were slowly unpacked and laid out as they were confident they wouldn’t be worried by the rain. 

The late summer carried on, slowly giving way to crisp breezes and longer nights. 

Not all of the days were good ones. 

There were some nights where Obi-Wan was woken not by the twins' cries, but by overwhelming torrents of grief and despair in the Force emanating from Anakin in the long hours of the night. There were entire days where he couldn't be roused from under the weight of the ghosts he carried.

One day, the two had a truly spectacular argument over Obi-Wan's refusal to let Anakin take the speeder and drive off. Not for good - but simply to clear his head.

It wasn't an unreasonable request by any stretch, Obi-Wan knew that. And yet he couldn't let him go. 

He had been afraid Anakin would take off on foot into the woods. Instead, the man had walked out as far as the shed, sulking there in his own miserable silence until long after the sun had set. It was the chill of the turning seasons that finally drove him inside. 

The next morning, the two spoke nothing of it, but continued their work with the same usual earnestness. 

Anakin made Obi-Wan a wordless cup of reconciliatory tea, finally breaking the terse silence. 

-

The Fresher was scrubbed clean. The dust and cobwebs that haunted empty rooms were cleared away. The last of the boxes stacked up from their move were sorted through and cataloged. 

The twins clung to Obi-Wan and Anakin's fingers with strong little hands. They marked the little milestones of them learning to roll over, pick their heads up and start to coo and babble when spoken to. 

Obi-Wan taught Anakin how to maintain a clean cut on his beard _("Just because we live in the woods, there's no reason to look like a wild man.”)_

_-_

The tips of the treetops were frosted with gold and orange when the final thunderstorm of the season swept over their mountain.

This time, Obi-Wan and Anakin sat in the sparse living room — with a twin on either lap — in the warm safety of a perfectly dry house.

“I wonder how people raise newborns _without_ the Force.” Anakin wondered, as the rolls of thunder became fewer and further between. “Imagine not being able to sense what they’re feeling? How would you ever know what was bothering them?” Anakin held Leia in his lap, the small child holding his finger tightly with her tiny hand. She felt content, much like she usually did around her father. 

Anakin adored both of them, each child with their own personality and quirks. Leia reminded him so much of Padmé with her gawking brown eyes and stubborn spirit. Luke was a much gentler thing. Though Obi-Wan was not his biological father, Anakin couldn’t help but see some of him in Luke already. 

“Out of all the adventures I thought we’d have to together, raising children was not one of them, Master.” 

Anakin shut his mouth quickly once he’d realized his slip of the tongue. He hadn’t called Obi-Wan that since—

_Well since Sidious._

The name _‘Master’_ had been tainted now, a reminder of the events which had transpired between them. Anakin wasn’t sure it would ever have the same meaning again. 

“I’m sorry... It just slipped out,” Anakin apologized.

"It's alright," Obi-Wan said, with careful indifference. "Though, I suppose I don't have to remind you it's something to avoid in town where others can hear."

In truth, Obi-Wan had felt a brief stab of warmth at the familiar honorific. 

He had come out here bracing himself for a life of constant stress and struggle — having to keep Anakin chained or imprisoned, struggling with the monster that was “Darth Vader” and the notion of whether or not the man Obi-Wan had once loved was consumed entirely by him. 

The changing of the seasons brought with it a change in perspective.

What kind of life _could_ they expect to have together?

  
  


-

  
  


The storm gave way to bright, crisp air. Seemingly overnight, the leaves on the trees were washed in blazing autumn colors. 

The roof had been fixed, but Obi-Wan remained wary of Anakin's flighty temperament. 

The porch was still a deathtrap of splinters and warped nails - he pointed out to Anakin the very next morning. 

Cracks in the walls would need to be sealed before the winter. The chimney in the main room would need to be cleared out if they wanted to have a fire when the snow and storms came. 

On days when Anakin was consumed by grief, Obi-Wan was careful to give him space. On days when his mind was sharp, Obi-Wan wanted to keep him busy. 

"It's just a bit further," Obi-Wan promised, one fresh and chilly morning. 

The two walked along the line of the trees, following a barely-there path where the grass was a bit thinner than the rest. A hare kicked off in alarm at their approach, white tail flashing as it vanished into the tall grass. Far above, a flock of wild geese called to one another as they winged their way overhead.

Anakin followed him diligently. The two didn’t speak much, having long learned to enjoy one another’s quiet. In a short time, the two came across a thatch of two dozen relatively short and scraggly trees with silvery bark. Their branches were heavy and laden with ripe shurra fruit. 

He gave a small chuckle, shaking his head — Anakin had wanted to practice sparring (so they wouldn’t lose their skills with a lightsaber, of course) but he supposed picking fruit wasn’t _too_ awful either. 

“I’m guessing this is why you wanted me to bring the basket?” Anakin raised an eyebrow, holding the wicker basket up for show. “It makes sense you’d need someone to reach the fruit for you,” he teased.

Obi-Wan scoffed, going immediately scarlet. 

" _Really_ Anakin," He managed, moving past him into the scraggly grove. The trees weren't too tall, the lowest branches were well within arm's reach, though plenty of the higher-up ones were certainly out of the man’s reach. "I took a walkabout here the other day. There's nobody around for miles. I imagine they must have been originally planted by whoever first lived here." 

The orchard clearly hadn't seen any care for years. Shoulder-high thin seedlings had grown up here and there between, what once, must have been neatly laid out rows. Orange-gold carpets of scattered leaves were laid out at the feet of the trees. 

"I thought you might enjoy a break from the tinned food and preserves we've been living off of." He plucked one of the fruits, tossing it over to Anakin. "It'd be a shame for the wildlife to have all of these to themselves."

“You’re right,” Anakin had tasted shuura before, the fruit was native to the planet Naboo, though it thrived quite well on similarly temperate planets. “I bet I could make a pie out of these too, my mom taught me how to bake a little when I was younger.” 

Anakin began to pick the fruit from the higher branches which he knew Obi-Wan would struggle to reach.

"I don't know much about baking, but from what I do, I think that may require another trip into town," Obi-Wan said, walking from tree to tree, picking what he could reach. Experimentally, he grabbed a low branch and gave it a hard shake, causing several fruits to break loose and fall to the ground at once. 

"Our spice collection is not terribly extensive." He crouched down to pick them up. "I should like to get some pest repellent as well."

During the last weeks of the summer, Obi-Wan had been experimentally clearing a patch of grass down the way from the shed. He had planted more herbs, as well as a small variety of vegetables. Unfortunately, it had only resulted in a delightful treat for wild animals. But now that some netting was up, there were a few that might just be salvageable before the season was out.

“We should get the trip out of the way as soon as possible. Alderaan is a core planet of the Empire now, it’s only a matter of time before stormtroopers eventually pay a visit to the village... we don’t want to give them any reason to follow us into the woods.” Anakin warned, cringing at the new title for Palpatine’s loyal troopers. 

_Stormtroopers_ — what a stupid name. 

The likelihood of Empire troopers deciding to occupy a small village in an otherwise cooperative system was very slim, but certainly not impossible.

"Hm, perhaps," Obi-Wan said, emptying his armful of fruit into Anakin's basket. 

“When I last spoke with Bail, he was not planning anything radical. Depending on how Alderaan acts within the scope of the Empire, I imagine they will primarily be focused on the larger cities and countries of the planet first. But eventually, yes." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm not terribly worried about handling one or two men. There's not much here that the Empire would want to keep a close eye on." Large factories, or even ore mines, perhaps. But farmers and herders... it would hardly be a useful occupation of time and resources. 

"As long as we don't attract the attention of any bigger fish, we should be safe here — as safe as we would be anywhere else, that is."

Anakin nodded, plucking a few more pieces from the tree and setting them in his basket carefully. 

"I think we have enough for now, don't you?" He asked, gesturing to the full wicker.

"Yes, for now." Obi-Wan agreed. He rubbed his hands together, staving off the chill at his fingertips from the cool day. "But I would like to return and get a few more baskets before we go into town." He stuffed one hand in his pocket, holding the other out to Anakin in offering to carry the shuura back to the house.

“Whatever you say,” Anakin mumbled to himself before taking Obi-Wan’s hand in his own hand only to be met by a strange look. 

“What?” He asked, cheeks flushing from embarrassment before realizing Obi-Wan was asking for the basket instead. Anakin had blindly assumed Obi-Wan’s shivering meant he was offering his hand for warmth. “Sorry,” he muttered awkwardly, handing him the basket quickly.

"Did you want to hold my hand, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked, with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

“What? _No!”_ The reddest of leaves surrounding them didn’t come close to the shade on Anakin’s cheeks. 

“I just thought you were cold, that’s _all_.” He crossed his arms stubbornly, “It was just an instinctive reaction from months of cuddling babies, you’re the one making it weird.”

Obi-Wan laughed, as the two made their way back to the house. "Come now, don't _pout._ I recall holding your hand on occasion as a padawan."

Though the instances were few and far in between. Typically on missions where the two were navigating a busy city street or marketplace — when the last thing that a young Jedi knight needed was to lose track of a ten-year-old.

“I was a _child_ , Obi-Wan. It’s a little bit different now that we’re both fully grown men, don’t you think?” Despite being told not to pout... Anakin continued to do exactly that.

"Yes, I suppose so." Obi-Wan desperately wished to continue poking fun but would allow himself to be nothing but respectful towards Anakin's boundaries. 

They returned to the house, walking by the lightning-struck tree that was still lying on its side a ways away from the shed. 

"Actually, that would make quite a decent stock of firewood," Obi-Wan noted thoughtfully. "I do know you and R2 assessed the heating system in the house — but a fire in the main room would be quite nice on the winter evenings, don't you think?" He placed the basket of shuura down on the kitchen table. 

"... And not to cause any concern..." He said cautiously. "But it likely couldn't hurt to have stock ready in case the heating should fail any time in the next few months." Depending on the weather, it could be anywhere from a few hours to several days to get things running again.

“I’ll handle the firewood,” Anakin offered quickly. There was quite a bit of tree to work through, and Anakin knew the task would take him at least a couple of hours. 

Obi-Wan was impressed by Anakin's eagerness for the task. 

After spending so many years as the man's master, he recognized when the man needed some time to work out feelings of embarrassment or slight. 

As the afternoon set in, the sun began to beam much heavier on Anakin. It was _just_ enough heat to justify removing his shirt, if he was going to be working outside for quite some time, of course. He tied the flannel around his waist, muscles gleaming in the sunlight as he swung the ax down through the splintering wood. 

Obi-Wan spent the afternoon in the kitchen, peeling the shuura fruit studiously. As he did (and not for the first time) the man seriously considered the pros and cons of seeing if Bruno could order in a cooking droid. It would be useful, but Obi-Wan could simply not justify the expense in his mind. They had nothing but time out here, there was no excuse not to learn.

A couple of hours and three large piles of firewood later, Anakin came wandering into the kitchen. There was still quite a bit of tree to go, but he was nonetheless pleased with the efforts of the day. Droplets of sweat collected against his forehead and the creases of his back. 

In the time that Anakin spent chopping wood outside, Obi-Wan had abandoned the pretense that he might be able to possibly make a pie on his own. Instead, he browsed some recipe holos he had downloaded on their initial journey to Alderaan, and after another search through their spice stores decided to try his hand at making cider.

As far as the cooking technique went, it didn’t seem to be terribly different from making stew.

When Anakin returned, the kitchen was heavy and fragrant with the scent of cooking fruits, warm dark sugar, cloves, cinnamon, and a hint of citrus. 

“Oh wow, this actually smells really good, Obi-Wan!” Anakin sounded impressed, yelling to the other man across the house and sneaking a small peek into the pot of cider. 

Anakin knew exactly where he was going to find Obi-Wan, and a short walk to the nursery later he found all three of them. Obi-Wan sat on the smooth new floor of the main room. Beside him, Luke and Leia were lying on a thick baby blanket buttoned up in soft flannel onesies.

Obi-Wan had an assortment of toys nearby that he was using to wave and carry their attention. The two were growing at an alarming rate, now following objects with interest, fixating on Obi-Wan and Anakin with wide, round eyes. 

With enormous effort, Leia rolled over onto her stomach at the sound of the door.

 _"BA!”_ She gurgled demandingly, waving an arm at her father.

Anakin chuckled softly, sitting down on the floor as well so he could swoop Leia up into his arms. 

“Were you calling for me?” He asked the small child. Usually, he could feel the twins through the force when one of them needed something. In the case of Leia, she was almost always requesting _his_ presence.

Leia laughed and babbled, batting at Anakin's cheeks with tiny open hands. On the floor, Luke whined, waving his hands at a little cloth ball just out of reach. 

"Anakin, really!" Obi-Wan said, aghast. "Put a shirt on at least!" His face had gone brilliantly red. "Threepio and I just gave them a bath!"

Anakin was still glowing from the exertion of the afternoon. He didn't smell _bad_ , but rich and earthy, with a whiff of pine and sap from the fallen tree.

“It’s not that bad.” Anakin frowned, setting Leia back down on the floor so he could remove the flannel shirt tied to his hips. He quickly pulled the cloth over his torso, buttoning the front so it laid comfortably over his sore body. 

“Are you happy now?”

"I suppose it's better," Obi-Wan said blithely. Luke fretted and squealed again, waving at the toy he’d set his sights on. 

The ball twitched and moved, rolling slowly across the blanket to the baby's outstretched hand. 

Obi-Wan and Anakin watched it roll between them with wide eyes. 

  
  


"My," Obi-Wan said, his eyes misty and bright. "You must be very proud, Anakin." He said, petting Luke's hair fondly as the babe mouthed at the toy, eyes half-closed with smug satisfaction. 

Anakin was proud, but overshadowing all the feelings of pure joy at that moment was uncontrollable _fear_.

How were they going to keep their force signatures hidden between all four of them? Was it safe to even teach them of the Force? 

Anakin didn’t say anything, instead, he sat quietly, his eyes intensely set upon Luke, but panic seeping through his signature.

"Anakin — oh _Anakin_ it's _alright_ ," Obi-Wan spoke softly, moving around to sit beside his old padawan. He braced a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. 

"We always knew this would happen. They're your children. The Force was always going to adore them, just as much as you or I do."

Obi-Wan scooped up Luke, who cooed happily.

"We'll teach them together." He said calmly. His picture-perfect shields betraying nothing of his own panic roiling beneath the surface. 

Obi-Wan had failed to teach Anakin as much as any master possibly could fail their pupil.

How in the world could he possibly be expected to guide the man's children?

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about. You don’t think it’s a little dangerous to teach them?” Anakin asked, paranoia escaping his voice. “What if it gives away our location? They’re only children... they won’t know how to shield as well as us.” 

Anakin bent down to carefully pick Leia back up from the blanket, hugging her close. 

"I doubt their powers will be strong enough to draw that kind of attention for several years," Obi-Wan assured him firmly. "We won't draw the Empire’s attention with a few levitating toys. Shielding is also relatively easy to teach to younglings. A child old enough to understand a game of hide and seek can grasp the concept fairly easily. It's one of the nursery games we teach the younglings." Obi-Wan chuckled. "You were too old for them by the time you came to us."

Anakin nodded, shifting uncomfortably upon the ground. “I just... I don’t want them to be raised like a Jedi. I want them to have attachments — to have love in their lives.” 

He had no issues with his children being raised in the ways of the Force, but Anakin didn’t want them to have the same upbringing as himself. It was lonely leaving behind his mother, and he didn’t have many friends as a Padawan. The others his age always teased him for being overly emotional... for standing out. 

“Do you think things would have been different if I had been raised at the Temple from the start?”

Obi-Wan sighed. He rested Luke's head on his shoulder, rocking him gently. 

"Anakin... I don't know. We couldn't possibly guess." He stood, carrying Luke into the kitchen. "Come, try some of this cider with me." He maneuvered two glasses out of the cupboard with one hand. 

"And... no. I don't think we have to worry about raising them to follow the code strictly." He rummaged through the utensil drawer, looking for a ladle. "We'll likely need a code of our own I think. One we figure out as we go."

_Their own code._

Anakin liked the sound of that. 

He smiled to himself as he trailed behind Obi-Wan into the kitchen. He set Leia down into the nearby pram, rubbing his thumb gently across her cheek. 

“Here, let me take Luke.” He offered his empty arms for the newborn so Obi-Wan could pour the cider easier. “We could sit outside together? The weather is nice.”

-

  
  


The days were getting shorter, cooler. The two men now had to bundle up in their coats and scarves before sitting outside. 

Despite the fact that it was not too late yet, the moon was already rising full and heavy behind wisps of clouds over their mountain. 

"Here, we have a few bottles stashed in the basement." Obi-Wan sat beside Anakin on the porch, holding out a bottle of dark spiced Alderaanean rum. He added a modest shot to Anakin's cup of hot cider, as well as his own. 

The cacophony of insects that had been a constant backdrop of noise throughout the summer was beginning to tone down into quieter evenings. The convor that lived in the large oak behind the shed was hooting peaceably. In the far distance, the shrieking yip of a snow fox could be heard — muted through countless layers of trees and underbrush.

Anakin relaxed into the bench, taking a sip of the hot flavorful cider. 

_Obi-Wan should definitely stick to drink making_ , he thought to himself at the taste. 

The rum burned his throat ever so slightly, a reminder that he was _still_ not used to drinking. His former Master was always much better at holding his liquor, Anakin didn’t know how he did it. 

With the twins tucked back into bed, the two men enjoyed the sounds of nature together. Anakin felt a great unknowable tension — too long-ingrained as a background thrum of pain to truly notice - loosen slightly deep in his gut.

················•·················

  
  


Obi-Wan rose early most mornings. 

He liked to be able to take his time with a cup of tea before the twins woke up. It was soothing to sit on the porch and watch the mist slowly curl and dry in the gold morning sun. 

On this chilly morning, however, Obi-Wan found himself lingering in bed.

It was terribly warm, and the glass on the windowpane was frosted over with icy filigree. 

It didn't inspire much desire to get out of bed, and so Obi-Wan found himself adrift between sleep and wakefulness, casually aware of the organ lying full and heavy between his legs. 

Raising two newborn children, fixing an old house, and helping provide careful support to a grieving widower had left Obi-Wan with precious little time to look after his own bodily needs. He had never considered this particular area to be one of much importance, even during his time as a Jedi. 

With no missions, no terribly pressing chores, and the thought of getting out of bed a truly dismal one at the moment, however, there was little use in ignoring it on this particular morning. 

Still half asleep, Obi-Wan let his fingers trace down the line of his cock, giving it a careful squeeze around his sleep pants. It throbbed with immediate interest, thickening quickly under his hand. 

"Mmn," Obi-Wan turned into his pillow, eyes still closed. He groggily sucked on two fingers, wetting them, and tugged his pants down just far enough to free himself under the covers. With no particular plan, Obi-Wan began to lazily stroke himself. 

He allowed his mind to wander, letting the fantasies come to him, rather than consciously choosing any scenario to focus on. 

He thought of the slender curve of Satine's neck. Qui-Gon Jinn's long fingers and large hands. 

The flexing, gleaming muscles of a naked back as arms swung overhead, cleaving a log in two. 

_Mn, no... not that..._ Obi-Wan thought blearily, his hand stilling on his cock as the visual refused to fade from his mind. It drifted halfheartedly to other visual moments, less lascivious in nature but somehow all the more damning for it. 

The warm brush of hot fingertips against his cold palm.

The way the moonlight streaked across the profile of Anakin’s face as they drank together on the porch, wetting his lips with silver-white.

His other hand idly squeezed his balls, causing him to breathe out sharply, warmly. His mind was helplessly transfixed on the way Anakin's spine drew a line down to two small dimples at the small of his back, as he worked on the log of the tree. What it would feel like to grasp those hips, to crowd against him and pin him forward against the hard bulk of the fallen tree. 

Obi-Wan bit his lip, stifling a cry as he felt the pre-come oozing out of the top of his swollen, aching head. 

He'd denied himself of this for too long. In no time at all his cock was hard in a way that edged on angry and painful.

It had been ages since Obi-Wan properly meditated. His normally organized and disciplined mind was an unruly mess of emotion. Attempts to summon any other thought or fantasy clashed horribly back to the consuming fantasy. 

The playful, challenging look that would be in Anakin's eye as Obi-Wan pinned him.

The contrast of cool wind against hot, naked skin. 

Anakin would be so tight — he knew he would be. _Would he relish an edge of pain?_ Obi-Wan knew that smile of his from countless battles and fights when an enemy got in a good hit. The feral twist of a breathless grin as Obi-Wan filled him to the hilt. 

The liberating, freeing notion that there was nobody around for miles, just the sun and the trees and the two of them rutting, fucking like the beasts that called to one another in the wilds surrounding them. 

Obi-Wan flung the covers of the bed back, hissing as his vision went black and his body seized in a powerful, roiling orgasm. Ropes of hot come streaked across his naked chest as he milked himself dry.

Beautiful waves of ecstasy were quickly absorbed and muddled in a mire of utter self-loathing.

Obi-Wan grabbed a pillow, flattening it over his face to muffle a deep groan of guilt and frustration. 

Padmé was only five months gone from this world. 

How could he possibly do this to a man he was meant to love as a brother?

················•·················

Obi-Wan furiously cleared his thoughts for their trip into town the next day. He had feigned a headache to Anakin, claiming he needed a break from the twins and took a long walk through the woods to banish such troubling notions. He sat at the base of an old oak tree for hours, trying and failing to access serenity through immersion in the living Force.

By the time he returned, his thoughts betrayed nothing. The two packed up to take off into town for the last trip of the season. 

Despite the grey and overcast sky, the Alderaanian Valley was blazing with fall colors. 

The two arrived in town with ears and noses pink from cold and windburn. 

"We need a few things from the butcher." Obi-Wan handed Anakin a list. "Letta's husband runs the shop. Give these to him as well." He handed Anakin another basket of shurra that they had returned to harvest after their initial venture to the old orchard. 

"Now _remember_ , when you ask him about purchasing hunting blasters, you need to ask as if you've never held a weapon in your life, understood?" Obi-Wan re-wrapped Anakin in his scarf as he spoke, giving it a little shake at the end for emphasis. "We're meant to be civilians from the city, not soldiers."

The two had the conversation about hunting the other day, watching flocks of geese migrating. In the months that they had arrived, the two had made their way through the stores of fresh and frozen meat that had been set up for them. Not that the two minded a vegetarian diet — being well used to weeks or even months at a time subsisting primarily on ration packs. But the woods were teeming with life and game. While the two agreed that it couldn't hurt to get familiar with the practice so that the twins would have more complete dietary options as they grew, a longer conversation had to be had about the best means to acquire it.

Anakin pointed out that bringing down a pheasant or any animal would be a simple matter of coercing it to submission with the Force before taking it out. _("You've always been pretty good at that, Obi-Wan.")_

The notion hadn't sat well with Obi-Wan at all — using the gift of the Force in order to take the life of one who could not defend itself. Even if he had to admit that Anakin made some decent points. 

Using the Force for hunting would mean that the animals would feel less pain, and be less likely to flee with a mortal wound that would cause it to suffer. Eventually, the two hadn't quite reached a consensus — although they agreed for appearance’s sake it would be best to own and train in the use of hunting blasters.

\- 

“Have either of you used a blaster before?” Letta’s husband, Charls, wondered as he rummaged through his vast collection of hunting blasters, all different shapes and sizes. 

“No, we haven’t. Is it difficult to learn?” 

Technically, Anakin wasn’t being _entirely_ dishonest — he had barely touched a blaster before. Growing up a slave, he was never trained to handle a weapon. It wasn’t until his upbringing in the Jedi Temple he had been taught the different forms of lightsaber combat.

“Nah, I’ll make sure to find you something with a good targeting system. Might be a little more expensive though, that okay?” 

Anakin nodded, handing off the meat Charls had cut for them to Obi-Wan. 

"Thank you, Anakin." 

Letta and a few other women from the village had taken to cornering Obi-Wan again (likely as the more approachable of the two men), interested to hear more about the mysterious duo and how they were getting on out in the woods on their own - with two small children no less. 

Obi-Wan didn't mind. Far from it, as some of their advice (from natural pesticides for the local vermin to tips on how to deal with infants who had recently started teething) has been utterly invaluable. 

What he was interested in hearing about, however (though he was careful not to bring up word of it himself) was how the rest of the planet was faring, having submitted to Empirical control. Unfortunately, the women were far more interested in the upcoming Harvest Festival, and tutting with disappointment that the two had no plans to participate. 

For the time being, he would have to assume that no news was good news. 

The women had been delighted with the fresh shurra however, and before Obi-Wan and Anakin packed up to leave for the day, one of them had returned with a basket of freshly made pumpkin tarts, insisting that the men return back with them as thanks.

-

The silver sky thickened and darkened as the two made their way back from town. As they passed through the sparse wild fields, entering the grove of trees that marked the final leg of their journey home, flakes of white began to fall from the sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Visit [Crys](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/whohatessand) and [Jo](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/jswander) on tumblr! Come send us some asks and yell at us about the story! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	5. Winter Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for everyone's wonderful support!

The days grew shorter and colder. The wind whipped down icy and cold off of the mountain peak. 

Anakin and Obi-Wan both took turns building up the large store of firewood piled up high against the shed. It was nearly the same height and width of the shed itself by the time the first proper snow fell, covering the mountain and wilderness in a thick, quieting blanket of white. 

Obi-Wan hadn't realized how accustomed he was to being immersed in all of the various sounds of nature until the morning they woke up without it. 

Pure and pristine, a solid layer of snow lay glittering and soft across the fields all the way to the wood. 

They had survived half a year together. 

Now winter was here.

Despite the house being sealed and secure, an entirely new problem had found its way into their haven. 

-

  
  


It was usual for Anakin to wake himself from nightmares, but tonight was _different_. 

Tonight the dreams were unusually persistent, even for him. His face scrunched up as he tossed and turned around in the bed, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. Unbeknownst to him, his Force signature was in utter chaos — a feeling so prevalent it woke everyone in the household, to Obi-Wan in particular, it felt like Anakin was _screaming_.

Obi-Wan jerked out of bed in a cold sweat, a split second before the twins started wailing. 

In that brief moment of terror, he didn't know what had happened. 

Some kind of attack? Had the Empire arrived?

It took a moment for him to clear the image from his sleep-addled mind of space ships descending from the sky, blasters trained on the house, and turning his head to the blaze of pure suffering in the Force coming from down the hall. 

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan threw the door open, striding across the smaller room to the bed. "Anakin, wake up!" He seized the man's shoulders firmly.

Anakin's eyes snapped open quickly, half-asleep and instinctively Force-shoving Obi-Wan across the room. He blinked his eyes rapidly for a moment before realizing what he had done. 

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin rose from the bed, offering his hand. "I'm so sorry, you startled me."

Obi-Wan gasped as the air was forced out of his lungs. He coughed and rolled, waving Anakin off. 

"Anakin, what happened? What was that?" 

Obi-Wan forced himself to his feet without Anakin's help. He knew about the man's nightmares. He had known about them since Anakin was a boy. He knew he had never experienced anything like that before.

Anakin’s shoulders fell, looking down at Obi-Wan apologetically. 

"I-I don't know. I thought it was just a nightmare, but you've never woken me up like that before." 

Anakin turned to face the door in the direction of the blood-curdling cries of two children.

"Did I do that?"

"Come," Obi-Wan bowed his head as he turned back into the hall, striding rapidly down to the nursery. 

He took Luke out of Threepio's arms, gesturing for Anakin to take Leia as well. 

"There now, come on younglings it's alright..." He murmured, holding Luke close to Anakin. "Your father is alright. See now? Shh..." He soothed, his voice low and rich and warm. 

"What did you dream about?" Obi-Wan's voice was carefully serene over the twins' continued wails. The tightness of his jaw and the pallor of his skin gave away his dread. "Was it the children?"

Anakin held Leia close to his chest, gently caressing her arm with hopes of comfort. He wasn't sure how he projected his nightmares to this degree, but it would _never_ happen again. 

"No," He sighed, looking down towards the floor, "It's always the same nightmares. I dream about Order 66 constantly... it never stops."

Obi-Wan breathed a long sigh of relief, rubbing Luke's back soothingly. 

While he did not relish in Anakin's pain, he could not help but be overwhelmingly relieved that Anakin’s dreams had not been prophetic in nature. 

"Does meditation give you any relief?" Obi-Wan asked, sitting down heavily in the old rocking chair. While Leia continued to bawl, Luke had quieted down to a whimper, his cheeks sticky with tears and phlegm against the man's neck and shoulder. Obi-Wan reached for a cloth to clean the boy's face.

“You know I hate meditating.” Anakin scoffed.

His attention quickly returned to Leia, attempting to calm the child through their bond. Anakin carefully pulled against her Force signature, telling her everything would be okay, until eventually... she finally settled down.

"Well done," Obi-Wan praised, around a large yawn. Obi-Wan hadn't slept on the old armchair for months now, but it remained exceptionally comfortable. He and Luke both appeared to be well on their way to resuming the night's sleep. Luke had tucked his head into the crook of Obi-Wan's neck, sucking contentedly on his fingers. 

"You should follow your own instruction, Anakin." Obi-Wan murmured. "Use the Force, calm your mind. I will guide you if you'll allow me..." He said with a long sigh. Luke mirrored the motion, his little body breathing out as he settled into a deep sleep.

Anakin rolled his eyes, he knew resistance was useless. Even if he said no to a meditation session, Obi-Wan would find another way to convince him. 

“Alright, but I’m more concerned about getting some more sleep right now.” He yawned, setting Leia back down in her crib. Just like her brother, she had fallen back asleep rather quickly.

"Mmn," Obi-Wan murmured in the affirmative, clearly already a step ahead of him.

Anakin picked up a soft wool blanket, draping it over Obi-Wan’s shoulders, and gently extricated Luke to put him back to sleep in his own crib. 

Anakin glanced warily back to the hall — reluctant to go back to his own room after the nightmares had woken everyone so abruptly. 

Instead, he piled up some blankets on the floor of the nursery close to Obi-Wan’s chair and allowed sleep to take him as well. 

-

Anakin _hated_ the cold. 

Growing up on a hot desert planet meant he would never quite be used to the snow — Kriff, maybe he even hated it more than _sand_. On Tatooine, even the desert nights were nowhere near as chilling as stepping out into the brisk forest with white crystals as far as the eye could see. 

In fact, Anakin would never forget his very first experience with ice and snow on the planet Ilum. Obi-Wan had taken him there as a child to get his very first Kyber crystal (of course he ended up losing that particular crystal at the Geonosis Droid Factory.)

It was miserable. 

The harsh winter weather made him miss Coruscant terribly. The weather was always roughly the same year round, and the planet certainly didn't have differing seasons like Alderaan. 

Anakin groused under the stack of blankets piled up on his bed. No matter how many he added, it never felt like quite enough. 

Outside, he could hear Obi-Wan moving about in the kitchen, setting the kettle to boil, and stoking up a fire in the main room. 

The house quickly warmed. Over the past few months the two men had diligently grouted, insulated and sealed the place preparing for this very morning. 

Obi-Wan poured his tea, warming his hands on the mug. He took a deep breath of mint and honey, willing his nerves to soothe.

Anakin shuffled into the kitchen, a blanket pulled around his body for warmth. The twins had not woken up yet, but Obi-Wan was already pouring his cup of morning tea. 

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but, can I have some tea?" He didn't _really_ like tea, but the hot streams of steam rising from the cup were tempting. 

"I've got a cup ready for you." Obi-Wan handed it to him. "You'll feel better once you've gotten dressed in something warm."

The women in town hadn't let them leave after their last trip without insisting on them taking a few extra sweaters from the community center. They had made quite a point of mentioning that the farmer Eli's oldest sons had left for one of Alderaan's cities the other year and that there was quite a surplus of clothing suitable for a young man like Anakin. 

Obi-Wan turned back to the window thoughtfully. 

"Actually, this might be a fine day for us to have a go at resuming your meditation." Obi-Wan mused. "There's a fine spot in the woods at the base of a large oak tree. I've been suspecting that it might be a potent well of energy in the Force, but need to take a closer look." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "With everything so quiet under the fresh snow, it may be an opportune time as any. Don't you think?"

Anakin took the mug into his hands, sipping the warm tea. He raised an eyebrow happily once he noticed his drink had been sweetened. Of course, the satisfied expression quickly fell when Obi-Wan suggested meditation. 

"You were serious about that?" Anakin frowned, his eyebrows crinkling together. "I… don’t want to frighten the twins like that again. But do you really think this is the answer? I was fine last night, after all.”

Obi-Wan paused, weighing his words carefully. 

"Overall you've been doing very well, Anakin. Since we came out here. But... there is clearly still great unrest in you." He explained, stroking the warmth of his mug with his fingertips. "I thought it might fade with time, but it still lingers.”

The man hesitated but braced his hand on Anakin's shoulder all the same. 

"I... do not wish to ignore any turmoil you may be struggling with. Not while I can help."

Anakin turned his head away, avoiding the knowing gaze from his former Master — it was eerily similar to all the times he had gotten himself into trouble as a Padawan. 

“I’m fine, Obi-Wan. No turmoil here.” He was quite a terrible liar. 

In truth, Anakin couldn’t remember the last time he had gotten a night of restful sleep. His dreams were overwhelmed by horrible memories of _that_ day.

"If that's really true Anakin, I'll leave you be," Obi-Wan promised. He was terribly grateful for the mug he was holding. He'd hardly know what to do with his hands otherwise.

"But... please. There's no council out here. No order, or code." He took a small step towards Anakin, a bit softer now. 

"It's just us." 

_Anakin, and the man who had seen the very worst of him._

Anakin sighed deeply, “Fine, let’s go mediate.” 

He supposed he did owe it to Obi-Wan after everything they had been through together, and for waking them up, of course. 

As he made his way to his bedroom door to change, Anakin turned around sharply, pointing a stubborn finger towards Obi-Wan. “ _But_ don’t get used to it. I still hate meditating.”

Obi-Wan smirked and similarly went to get dressed. 

He pulled on a dark, thermal undershirt and leggings before pulling on a pair of denim pants and a thick flannel shirt. A heavy, well-made coat, followed by a thick dark scarf came next. 

Obi-Wan checked in with 3PO and the twins before heading out to the front of the house. He had brought an extra hat as well, as Anakin often forgot the importance of keeping his head warm in the last few chilly weeks.

Anakin followed Obi-Wan out front. He took the hat with a thankful smile, pulling it over his bushy head of curls — which were not pulled back into his usual low bun this particular morning. 

“So where’s this oak tree?”

"Up the mountain a ways." Obi-Wan directed, pointing out to the white wilderness sprawling out before them. "Look, you can even see it from here. The one that sticks out a bit higher on the canopy? The snow should be thinner in the woods. We should reach it within the hour." He said, leading them on into the underbrush. 

Within the trees, the woods were not nearly as quiet as one might have expected. With the storm over and done, birds twittered and flitted from tree to tree in a mad rush for winter berries. One or two smaller animals darted about. Tracks and trails cross-crossed in the patches of snow that made it past the linking branches of tree branches overhead. 

As Obi-Wan described, they soon came across large, thigh-thick roots of trees that snaked and climbed over bounders and across the underbrush. They continued up the slope, reaching the base of a massive, old tree. Twenty men easily could have stood hand-in-hand and only just made its breadth. 

The tree was nearly as old as the mountain, heavy with snow and the ages. Obi-Wan stopped there, closed his eyes, and drank in a deep breath. 

This was a good place.

Anakin held his long arms close to his chest, hugging his own body heat. Despite the gloves, hat, and scarf... he was still kriffing _freezing_. 

“Finally,” He murmured to himself once they arrived, the hot breath from his mouth visible whenever he spoke. Anakin laid down the blanket (which he had taken with him) across the ground — an attempt to protect themselves from the frigid land. 

Despite this, Anakin’s ass was _still_ frozen as he sat.

Obi-Wan chuckled, if only because Anakin hadn't thought to put the blanket down on a dry rock or even clear some of the snow away with the Force before setting the blanket down. 

"Come now Anakin, we've endured worse." He said, sitting down at his opposite, crossing his legs to assume the usual stance. "Now, can't you feel it? This place is calling out to us." He took another deep breath. "I trust you haven't forgotten how it's done."

“Unfortunately,” Anakin scoffed, squeezing his eyes shut. Four in, four out... just like Obi-Wan had taught him as a Padawan. 

He tried to relax — he honestly did, but everything was just so loud. Not their surroundings, of course, but rather, Anakin’s mind. 

“I can’t, Obi-Wan. The Force is too chaotic for me now, even worse than it was during the war.” Anakin explained.

"Still?" Obi-Wan didn't open his eyes, though he hardly needed to. He could sense Anakin there as plain as day, blazing across from him like molten gold. 

Obi-Wan swallowed, bracing himself for what he had feared but knew he must face.

He was still wary of the fragile, broken bond that lied tenuously between them. Drawing on the serenity about him, the well of energy beneath him deep in the roots of the old tree, Obi-Wan reached out with the Force to brush against it like the gossamer thread of a spider's web. 

His presence resonated against it, thrumming the like plucked string of an old instrument he used to know so well. 

What reverberated back was the oncoming tide of the cacophony of Anakin's mind. It was only a trickle now, but quickly growing. Already Obi-Wan was left briefly breathless by the sheer volume of it. 

"Anakin, focus!" He gasped.

Anakin nodded slowly. Focus... he just needed to _focus._

_You must choose._

_Don't listen to him, Anakin!_

He scrunched his nose uncomfortably, the memories barricading his mind, holding him hostage from surrendering himself properly. _This_ was why he had closed himself off — the Force refused to let him forget. Why should he be allowed to forget? Anakin had assisted in throwing the Galaxy into chaos, a fact which his nightmares never failed to remind him of. 

_You're fulfilling your destiny, Anakin._

_Rise, Lord Vader._

_Anakin, you're breaking my heart!_

_Only a Sith deals in absolutes, I will do what I must!_

Anakin's eyes snapped open, gripping his head tightly between his hands. It was too much... it was all just too much. "I can’t focus! _It hurts_ , Obi-Wan. I can’t do this-" His voice was weak as he began to stand.

“Anakin—“ Warm hands reach out, grasping the man’s own. “Don’t — I’m not leaving you alone again!” Obi-Wan surged forward, touching his forehead to Anakin’s.

He closed his eyes tightly, throwing himself around their broken, tattered bond. He embraced it, breathed life into cool embers. He feared it, he knew it would burn as the bond blazed to life with all of Anakin’s rage and aching love and raw power.

Was he always like this? Obi-Wan couldn't possibly understand how the man could ever feel cold when he burned like the surface of the sun. 

Through their open bond, Obi-Wan dove into all of the hurt and the suffering, collecting it and guiding it and letting it sear the exposed nerve endings of his being.  
  


He brushed against the surface of Anakin's memories, distorted and stretched and saturated through the sharp lens of the Dark Side.

"It's alright Anakin, let me in. You know you can trust me."

The bond went two ways. He needed Anakin to grasp the hand offered out to reach him. 

The torrent of Anakin’s suffering was overwhelming.

"Anakin, please - _I love you!_ "

Anakin didn’t know what to say. 

He suspected Obi-Wan harbored a strong connection with him — a brotherly bond they held from years spent together, a protective instinct towards his former Padawan. 

But truthfully, Anakin never thought he would hear the word _love_ come from Obi-Wan Kenobi’s mouth. It reeked of attachment, the very kind he wasn’t supposed to have. 

However, most of all Anakin just wondered _how_. 

How could Obi-Wan possibly still love him after all of this? 

Why didn’t Obi-Wan show his affection more when Anakin needed it? (Why would Obi-Wan lie to him in the cruelest way possible when he faked his own death?) 

It didn’t matter, it was the past. They had their failings, it was time to move on together. It was time that Anakin trusted him in return, showing him the same effort Obi-Wan had put into him recently. 

The same _forgiveness_. 

Anakin slowly nodded, he gave no sweeping confession, (“Of course I love you too, Obi-Wan.”) Obi-Wan already knew, he knew since Anakin was a young padawan — it didn’t need to be said. They were brothers. 

He responded to the pulling of their bond, opening his mind up completely for Obi-Wan to see _everything_ of that day — everything Anakin experienced... everything he felt.

Obi-Wan cried out with the sudden sharp pain of a bone snapping back into place. 

He saw it all at once.

_The sickening terror of Anakin's nightmares._

_The loss of his mother._

_The love he had for Padme._

_Looking for Obi-Wan that day, finding Mace Windu instead._

_An endless abyss of maybes and what-ifs that would torment him to no end._

With tremendous effort, he visualized the Force as a black hole of endless space, offering a backdraft for Anakin's rage and hurt and suffering to escape into. 

An ounce at a time, inch by inch the weight and heaviness were granted a reprieve. The hurt was still there, it wasn't gone.

But Anakin wouldn't bear it alone any longer.

Hot heavy tears burned through the corners of Anakin’s eyes, “I’m sorry, Obi-Wan. If I could take it back... If I could just go back and change it...”

Obi-Wan drew Anakin in, wrapping his arms tight around him. 

Their signatures in the Force harmonized, resonating, and singing with the natural energy that thrived around them even in the winter quiet. 

"My dear padawan..." Obi-Wan buried his face in Anakin's neck, his eyes closed. Beneath all of the pain and suffering, he could feel him there. That bright, vibrant presence that had walked beside his own for years. It wasn't gone, just sleeping. Shivering under the snow. 

But winter didn't last forever.

"I missed you."

Anakin held onto him tightly, the warmth from Obi-Wan’s body radiating onto his skin. He couldn’t remember the last time they had hugged like this — maybe once during the war? 

“It looks like the twins have made you more affectionate too,” Anakin laughed to himself, cheeks bright red as they both pulled away from the embrace. 

“It’s nice to know that you... _you know_... care. I always thought I was such a burden on your life.”

"No, Anakin." Obi-Wan petted Anakin's hair, his hand heavy on the back of the man's neck. "After I lost Qui-Gon... I don't know what I would have done without you." 

Obi-Wan should have told him far more often, he knew that now.

Anakin smiled widely, a sparkling gleam in his eye. For the first time in months, he felt some semblance of peace. 

“Do you think we could head back to the cabin now? I honestly can't feel my butt... it’s gone numb.”

Obi-Wan laughed, picking up the blanket and shaking off the snow. 

"Yes, of course. I got a fire going to heat the bath before we left." He braced his hand on Anakin's back as they walked. The physical connection felt right, the Force singing with contentment over the healed bond between the two men. 

"You should get used to it though, you know." He said conversationally, as they moved down the mountain. "You won't be able to stay inside and hide from the snow all winter."

“Well, I can certainly try.” 

-

Later that night, Anakin sat alone on the porch. The weather was still incredibly cold, but at least he was further away from the ice and snow. In his hand a small carving knife and a tiny piece of wood. 

His borrow was furrowed, deep in focus, and oblivious to the rest of the world as he continued to carve the wood into his desired shape.

The door slid open. As it did, a strip of golden firelight and plume of warmth briefly rolled over Anakin.

"All that complaining about the cold this morning and yet I find you out here." A heavy blanket was dropped around Anakin's shoulders. 

Obi-Wan sat beside him, holding Leia close. She was wrapped under a woolen wrap Obi-Wan wore, finally sleeping after a fretful evening. The twins had come into their teething now, and quiet moments were harder to come by. At last, she had fallen asleep still clutching her teething ring in a plump little fist. 

"What are you making there? Something for the twins?" Anakin had expressed an interest in learning to whittle toys a week or two ago.

"Well I have a reason to be outside right now," Anakin answered, his cheeks flushed, though it was unclear if they were red from embarrassment or the bitter cold. "I actually wasn't expecting you to come out here... I'm actually making something for Padmé, or _remaking_ I guess." 

He noticed Obi-Wan's eyes flash with both interest and genuine curiosity. "When I was nine, I made her this necklace on the way back to Coruscant. I doubt you were paying attention to me at the time." Anakin chuckled slightly, "I thought maybe if I remade it, I could use it to make her a gravesite out here... for some closure."

Obi-Wan turned his gaze off into the distance. It was a clear night. The stars blazed across the dark horizon. 

In the distance, Obi-Wan could see the heart of the Corusca sector. Somewhere off in that purplish-blue haze was Coruscant.

"I know the one you speak of," Obi-Wan said quietly. "She was buried with it." His voice was a puff of silver smoke.

"She was?" Anakin asked in disbelief. "I knew she still wore it from time to time, but I didn't think..." 

A rush of guilt washed over him, it was his fault she was dead now. They shouldn't have buried her with _any_ reminders of him, _Anakin didn't deserve it._

"She loved you, Anakin," Obi-Wan said quietly. 

Not for the first time, Obi-Wan felt utterly at a loss to comfort his dear friend. He closed his eyes, rocking Anakin's daughter a bit. 

"... would you like me to leave?" He asked, eyes obscured by long, lowered lashes.

"No," Anakin shook his head quickly, a thought occurred to him. "Actually, I think you could help me." 

He swallowed, steeling himself around the idea.

"What if we made a grave for all of them? The Jedi, Rex, Ahsoka, Cody, Padmé... all of our friends who aren't here with us anymore."

"The Jedi?" Obi-Wan said, his eyes bright with sudden emotion.

"I thought it might make you feel better," Anakin fidgeted with the piece of wood awkwardly.

Obi-Wan took a moment, struggling for a moment to keep his voice even. 

"I would... like that very much, Anakin." He said, a bit misty-eyed.

Anakin squeezed his hand tightly before continuing on his project.

-

The next clear day, Anakin and Obi-Wan set off back up the mountain. Obi-Wan had spied it when they had last gone up there to meditate. The two returned up the long, winding trail to the large old tree. 

At the base, where the roots were tall and thick there was a branching natural alcove. It was roughly tall and wide enough for a grown man to sit in comfortably, with space enough lengthwise to accommodate what they had set out to do. 

"It will be protected from the snow and rain here," Obi-Wan explained to Anakin, clearing away the brush and scrub about it. "And hunters, anyone that might come this way won't notice unless they were looking directly at it."

The two split up, walking around until they found a few choice rocks. With careful pushes of the Force, they raised them up to the hollow of the tree. 

Obi-Wan closed his eyes, carefully scanning the living energy of the Force for any sign of human life apart from their own. When he was quite certain that they were alone, he took out his lightsaber. 

While Anakin rummaged around looking for appropriate tree boughs, Obi-Wan carefully cut the stones into roughly symmetrical tapered pillars. It was coarsely done, but clear enough for one to see that they had been deliberately shaped. 

_One for the brave clones that had given their lies to the Sith’s puppet war._

_One for the Jedi, decimated and scattered to the dark corners of the Empire._

_One for Padmé, who until the very end had fought for peace for the people she loved._

Anakin kneeled beside Obi-Wan as he laid the pieces carefully, hidden deep within the tree. Once he had finished, he glanced up at Anakin who still held onto the copy of his japor snippet, first made for Padmé. It resembled the original well enough. 

Anakin placed the carved wood next to the piece of stone Obi-Wan had cut for her. Before he was finished, Anakin took the ring around his neck and held it tightly within his hand. 

It was the wedding band Padmé had given to him. The band was beautifully crafted, clearly intended for someone of high status in Naboo. 

Selling the ring didn’t feel right, but _neither_ did keeping it.

Obi-Wan kept his eyes carefully averted, allowing Anakin the privacy of the moment with the memory of his wife. 

Instead, he took two roughly assembled wreaths of woven holly boughs and wild winter roses. He laid one at each of the two remaining grave markers, letting himself feel the pain and the hurt of his loss properly. 

In the distance, a doe wandered through the clearing, watching them with cautious dewy eyes. 

A cold breeze whistled overhead. Icicles shivered and fell as boughs shook the snow-free in the pale afternoon light. 

  
  


There was a soft, strangled sound next to Anakin. 

Obi-Wan knelt in the snow, his head bowed low and his hair falling forward to obscure his eyes. His hands rested on his knees, dotted with warm heavy droplets that fell down his cheeks.

“Obi-Wan?” Anakin asked softly, “Are you okay?”

Obi-wan raised the heel of his palm to one eye, scrubbing the frosting tears from the tips of his lashes. 

After a long silence, a series of things almost-said, Obi-Wan finally managed.

"I'm glad we did this, Anakin."

Anakin stiffened, unsure of how to react. In all their years together, he had never seen Obi-Wan break down before — it was almost strange to see his Master so... _human_. 

"Me too." Anakin simply said. 

He leaned forward, wrapping Obi-Wan in a tight hug.

Obi-Wan stiffened at the contact on reflex, before relaxing into the embrace, leaning into Anakin. 

Their bond, raw and open emanated pain — shared and borne between them. 

He grasped Anakin's shoulders, pulling him close like a precious thing. 

How could he possibly have survived losing him too?

  
  


-

  
  


The two did not speak but sat this way for a while in the silence of the mountain. More quiet tears were shed. 

After some time, they both rose — movements slightly more in-sync from sharing their bond so closely. 

It was not how a training bond was meant to be used. They both knew it but did not speak of it as they returned back down the mountain side-by-side.  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be much more lighthearted, we promise <3!
> 
> Visit [Crys](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/whohatessand) and [Jo](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/jswander) on tumblr! Come send us some asks and yell at us about the story! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. Winter Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much again for everyone's encouragement and support so far <3 !!

“I didn’t see Ben with you today.”

“He decided to stay with the twins today instead.” 

Letta’s husband, Charls led Anakin through the snow and ice-covered village, the bitter cold stinging exposed skin. The once-lively village had hunkered down for the winter - post people opting to stay inside whenever possible, leaving the streets quiet and sparse.  
  
Anakin had come into town for some fresh cuts of meat and a bag of barq puffs but was pleasantly surprised when the two men had reached a conversation on mechanical work. 

Charls had passingly mentioned a broken down speeder in the village’s repair station and was more than happy to give Anakin the opportunity to fix it, _(“I’ll tell you what, if you can actually get it running, you can keep it.”)_

Anakin was thrilled. 

He knew it would delay his trip home by a few hours, but he had already sent a holo-message to Obi-Wan regarding his change of plans. During a slow afternoon, Anakin had managed to create a transmission extender using some spare bits of junk found in a few drawers and the back of the shed. 

“Well, this is it.” Charls gestured to the speeder, collecting layers of dust in the repair station. 

“Wow, this is... a really nice model. Are you sure you want me to take it?” 

“No one’s been able to get this running for months — we almost sold it for parts a few weeks ago.” 

“I really appreciate it, Charls.” 

The butcher smiled, with a nod of his head, he left Anakin to tend to the large machine. 

There were many tools available to him in the repair station, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get something like this up and running. Kriff, if he could repair _the Twilight…_ He could repair this. 

Anakin sighed, a sense of nostalgia in the air. 

Sometimes he really missed that hunk of junk ship (before Obi-Wan got it blown up, of course.) 

-

"Hello?" 

An hour or so into Anakin's work, the door to the repair station opened. 

“Ouch,” Anakin mumbled to himself as he banged his head atop the bottom of the speeder, the sudden voice starling him. 

He winced, rubbing his head before rolling out from under the speeder, laying atop his creeper. 

_It was a girl._

"You must be Ashmi." A young woman with Letta's rosy cheeks smiled. She was holding a tray with a few sandwiches and a glass of juice. "My mother sent me in here to make sure you had something to eat." She set it down on a station bench that had the freest space to accommodate it.

"My name is Sumi, it's nice to finally meet you." She said with a dimpled smile.

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Anakin smiled, pulling the goggles off his eyes. “Thank you for the food, I really appreciate it.”

"Of course!" Sumi beamed, sitting down on a spare stool. "I owe it to you after all. We get a lot of city types like yourself coming out here, with their romantic ideas about country living. They almost never make it once the weather turns." She laughed. 

"We had a bet going in town that the two of you would be out of here by the first snowfall. I won that one." She said with a wink.

 _City type?_ Anakin wondered to himself. 

Is that what he was? He had never really considered himself to be that, though he supposed a decade on Coruscant could change a man. 

“Oh,” Anakin’s cheeks flushed over the mention of the bet, rubbing the back of his head nervously. 

"Though, the odds might have been a bit more even if they knew you were handy with a torque wrench though." She noted, taking one of the sandwiches for herself.

Anakin smiled shyly. 

“Well, it’s nice here, and...” He stood up to take a sandwich, “...thank you. I would have probably just forgotten to eat.”

"Well, that's no good," Sumi said with a pout. "You can't go around forgetting to eat. You've got kids to raise, don't you? Especially not when the weather gets cold like this." She crossed her legs, propping up an elbow on her knee. "That's a surefire way to get sick."

“It’s a bad habit... getting _distracted._ It’s easy to lose track of time raising two newborns.” 

_Or fighting in a war,_ Anakin didn’t say out loud, but he sure thought it. 

“Or fixing a speeder, of course.”

"Of course," Sumi said with a tilt of her head and a small smile. "Say Ashmi, has anyone told you about our Life Day Festival?" She asked brightly. 

"The town throws it every year! I'm sure it's not as fancy as what you get in the big cities near the Capitol, but the townspeople always put out a ton of lights and have a Tree of Life ceremony. Do you think you'll be finding your way down here for it?" She watched him with a suddenly nervous sort of energy. "I can't imagine it'd be a ton of fun to celebrate out in the woods on your own..."

“Oh don’t worry! I’m not alone or anything, I have Ben and the twins with me to celebrate.” Anakin smiled widely, oblivious to the way that her smile faltered. 

“But maybe if I can get the speeder working, I’d have something big enough to bring the twins to the festival. I guess we’ll see, right?” 

Sumi rubbed the back of her neck. "Yeah! I suppose we'll see!" She laughed, a bit red in the cheeks now. 

She excused herself quite abruptly, letting Anakin work away on the speeder. While the hull still had some dents that could benefit from being banged out, and possibly a sandblasting and a new coat of paint, he was happy enough with its condition to hook up to his own vehicle for the trip across the snow-blanketed landscape back to the house. 

-

Obi-Wan had spent the morning doing some chores outside, clearing the drive and the porch. 

With the twins asleep, Obi-Wan took advantage of the rare time alone to enjoy a long soak in a hot bath — something that was quickly becoming a true joy during the cold months. 

He had nearly drifted off in the steaming water, a delicate pink flush over his cheeks and down his chest. 

He drifted out of his half-sleep to recognize Anakin's signature return to the house. 

Obi-Wan yawned heavily. 

He dunked his head under the water one more time before standing, smoothing his hair back with his head tipped back.

"Ah, Master Ani welcome home!" 3PO welcomed Anakin brightly from the kitchen. R2-D2 beeped and whirred excitedly, nearly knocking Anakin over in his haste to get by and inspect the new speeder. He beeped and trilled, with a few curt, choice binary words for Anakin at being denied the bulk of the first proper mech job it had come across in months.

"The twins are both ten minutes and forty-two seconds into their afternoon nap. Allow me to provide a report on their activity during your absence!" He said delightedly, launching in to the daily rundown he seemed inclined to give whenever there was an ear to hear it, detailing the changes in height, weight, and developmental milestones of the two ("Mistress Leia held herself up on her hands and knees approximately 12% longer than last week's average - how exciting!")

“Thanks, Threepio. It’s alright, you really don’t have to finish the entire rundown,” Anakin tried his best to stop the droid before he got too far into it. 

“I’m gonna use the fresher.” 

Anakin excused himself quickly, opening the door to the refresher without thinking, only to find it was already occupied by Obi-Wan drying himself off from a bath. 

“Kriff,” Anakin cursed, turning his head away quickly to respect the man’s privacy, cheeks flushed a bright red. “I’m sorry. I thought you were in the nursery or something. I didn’t mean to— _kark_.”

"It's alright, Anakin." Obi-Wan’s words were warm and unhurried from the lingering bliss of his bath. He reached for a towel, drying off his face. Water sluiced down his chest and over his thighs. The ginger hair on his chest and stomach canted down, forming a natural 'v' drawing the eye from his middle naturally down to the heavy, soft cock between his legs. 

"You must be cold from the ride back with the wind in your face. I'll be out in just a moment and put more wood on the fire for you."

“N-No, it’s fine!” Anakin stuttered, his face hot from steam and embarrassment. “Take your time, I’m just gonna—“ He escaped from the refresher without another word.

"Hm?" Obi-Wan looked up from his towel, oblivious. 

Anakin couldn't possibly have been embarrassed? Surely the two of them had seen one another naked before? 

Obi-Wan considered it as he toweled off and dressed, stoking the fire up a bit more for Anakin to bathe. 

-

Anakin rushed himself onto the porch, plopping down on the bench and burying his face deep into his hands. The bitter cold air was quite the relief considering the heat radiating from his flaming cheeks. 

_Kriff, why was he behaving so awkwardly?_

It was just Obi-Wan, they had lived together in the Temple for _years_ before this. He had seen his former Master in many states of undress and never thought anything of it before. 

Then again, Anakin had never seen him _completely_ nude. Had Obi-Wan always had such a large dick? How much bigger would it be when erect and flush? 

_No._

That was a bad thought. An inappropriate bad thought. Anakin should _not_ be thinking about Obi-Wan’s cock. 

Of course, Obi-Wan was an attractive man, and Anakin had been attracted to plenty of men before (he always found the clones, particularly Rex, quite handsome.) But this was the man who had practically raised him, his brother! Obi-Wan would be disgusted to think Anakin was sulking in the cold, thinking about his cock, right? 

Anakin continued to curse under his breath, shifting around with an uncomfortable tightness in his pants. The chill would make it go away eventually.

He was just frustrated, that’s all. A perfectly natural reaction — it had been so long since he’d taken someone to bed. These new feelings would pass, _they had to._

Anakin could hear Obi-Wan calling out to him. He bolted, taking the long route into the bathroom via the porch that wrapped around the side of the house. 

While the fresher was hardly the place he wanted to return to right now, it was one place he could be sure of privacy while he worked through some things.

Steeping in the hot water, Anakin draped himself over the edge of the tub, trying to think of anything other than the girth and shape of Obi-Wan's cock.

Anakin bit his lip, his hand lingering on the firm muscles of his bare stomach. The cold hadn't helped will away the stubborn thickness of his own dick, and the heat of the water certainly wasn't doing it any favors now. 

_It's been too long since I got laid,_ Anakin thought miserably, squeezing the base of his cock, giving it a few guilty strokes. 

He was already so hard.

_Kriff._

Really, the fresher was as good a place as any to take care of himself. Certainly more comfortable than his freezing bedroom. 

_Maybe Obi-Wan jerked off in here too?_

Anakin let out a strangled half-moan, biting into the meat of his arm that his chin rested on, stifling the noise. The last he needed was Obi-Wan overhearing him. 

Perhaps coming in to see what all the noise was about. 

Joining him in the water.

Touching him, taking care of him. 

His hand drifted down, over his balls to stroke the taut flesh of his perineum, stalling himself from what he really wanted to do. 

Anakin still remembered the first night he had tried it. 

He and some of the men of the 501st were camping out on a desert moon, sitting around a campfire. They had been waiting there for additional forces to join them before making the final jump to the next attack.

It had been a low-key evening. After a few smuggled drinks, the conversation had turned too far more informal topics. 

They had told him about — _that_ — shocked really to learn that their _‘Fearless General’_ was still relatively ignorant to certain aspects of his own body. 

In the privacy of his own tent that night, Anakin had explored himself with clumsy fingers, coming harder than he ever had in his life with a muffled scream into his pillow, fingers deep inside himself. 

He had never broached the topic with Padme. There had never been time. They hardly even had time for intimate moments, to begin with. 

What would she have thought?

It was difficult to focus on the notion, not when he was warm and aroused, surrounded by the lingering smell of Obi-Wan's soap. His towel drying in the corner of the room, the memory too fresh in his mind. 

Burying his head into the crook of his elbow, Anakin gently slipped a single finger inside himself, twisting it forward in a way that made him writhe and gasp. 

_What would it feel like to take all of him? Would it even fit?_

_Obi-Wan would know how to do it._ Anakin realized, fighting a moan as heat curled low in his belly. He had done this sort of thing before — he would know how to get Anakin's body ready, to fit his entire length inside. 

_He'd be so full,_ Anakin whimpered. He was so sensitive here. He knew he wasn't going to last long, he never did when he did this to himself. 

Anakin grasped his aching cock, stroking himself in time to his finger massaging himself. His hips worked in awkward, jerky involuntary thrusts before lights erupted behind his eyes, a guttural snarl of feral delight torn out from the base of his throat. 

Anakin was left dizzy and gasping as emptied himself into the hot water, leaving behind a coil of shame half-drowned under bone-deep post-orgasmic satisfaction.

  
  
  


················•·················

  
  


A scant few nights after Anakin's trip back from town with the new speeder, a sharp cold front settled in the early hours of the morning. It was hours after the fires had burned low. While the boiler continued to keep the house warm, the old machine noticeably favored the far side of the house where the twin's nursery and the master bedroom were situated. 

As a result, a sharp sort of chill seeped its way into the far corners of the old house.

Unfortunately for Anakin, his room was positioned on the _cold side_ of the house. He was constantly miserable, the chilly weather keeping him awake at night tossing and turning. 

No amount of blankets were enough, he was kriffing freezing to no end. 

_It was agonizing._

"Anakin, are you awake?" 

Obi-Wan knew that he was, but felt it would be polite to ask as he peeked into the room. 

Anakin always was terrible at shielding as he hovered between sleep and wakefulness. Even now, he couldn't help but project his discomfort and irritability loudly enough that it kept Obi-Wan from properly falling asleep. 

He stepped into the room, frowning at the sudden draft.

"Anakin, it's _freezing_ in here. Did you open a window?" He asked, surprised.

“It’s cold for you too?” 

Anakin asked, from under a large bundle of blankets he had cocooned about himself. For so long Anakin had thought it was just his body having difficulty adjusting to the weather. 

“No, I haven’t opened up a window! It’s always just cold in here for some reason.”

Obi-Wan laughed apologetically. 

"And _I_ thought you were just being particular. Oh, Anakin I'm so sorry." He walked over to the window, feeling a slight draft from the unsealed frame. 

"We can fix this in the morning. Come, you must be frozen." He picked up Anakin's pillows, gesturing for him to follow out of the room into the hall.

Anakin raised an eyebrow curiously. He assumed Obi-Wan was taking him to the master bedroom... it wouldn’t be wise to risk waking the twins just for him to sleep on the nursery chair. 

“Shouldn’t I take some extra blankets if I’m going to be sleeping on the floor?”

"The floor will hardly be any warmer than that room of yours," Obi-Wan said, arranging Anakin's pillows on his own bed. "The bed is big enough. It'll be no different than when we had to share a tent on off-world missions before the war."

Anakin’s cheeks turned bright scarlet, hidden by the dim lighting of the night. He couldn’t help but think of his recent incident in the fresher.

“It’s fine, Obi-Wan. I can sleep on the floor, I don’t want to inconvenience you.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow, frowning. Perhaps it wasn't _quite_ fair to equate this to a mission. Anakin had made it clear enough in the past there were parts of his life that Obi-Wan was not to intrude upon.

The man realized with a curl of grief that with their bond re-formed he had begun to overlook this.

"Please, I insist you do. I'll sleep on the chair in the nursery."

Anakin sighed heavily. That wasn’t fair either. 

“No, you’re right it’s just like a mission. We can just share the bed. It’s not a huge deal, right?”

Obi-Wan watched Anakin for a long, careful moment. 

He couldn't help but be reminded awkwardly of what he had done in this very bed a month or two back — while thinking of Anakin all the while.

Had Anakin copped on somehow? 

Shame colored the back of Obi-Wan's neck, though he was certain it wouldn't show in the dim light. 

"I am sorry about this, Anakin. We'll fix your window straight away, I promise."

Anakin nodded stiffly. As long as he kept his distance from Obi-Wan, and _didn’t_ think about touching himself to the image of a massive cock between his legs... it would be fine! 

He fluffed his pillow twice before worming his way under the covers. It was already so much warmer than his own room. He could feel his body relaxing against the soft mattress, sleep was so tempting.

The solid weight of Obi-Wan settled down beside him. With the storm raging outside, there was no moonlight. His silhouette was the barest outline in the darkroom.

Between the two of them, the bed quickly became gorgeously snug. Obi-Wan was careful to keep half an arms-length between the two of them. His breathing soon evened out, slow and heavy. 

Anakin watched his former master drift off, despite his exhaustion. He turned over on his side, the distance between them that much smaller as he did so.

Obi-Wan’s body was so warm. 

-

  
  


Obi-Wan slowly woke up to the pale, blue winter morning. It was still an hour or two before the twins would rise, and everything was quiet. 

He nuzzled down into a tangle of bronze curls, yawning and pulling the warm, solid body closer against his chest. 

At some point during the night, the two men seemed to have given up any pretense of personal space. Anakin's arm was tucked under Obi-Wan's shoulders, the rest of his body curled up into the crook of his body. Their legs tangled comfortably together to accommodate Anakin's extra height. 

_This was bad,_ Obi-Wan thought, blearily. Anakin wouldn't want this. By rights, he should separate the two of them at once. His mind moved sluggishly from sleep. Instead, he found himself captivated by the utter serenity emanating from Anakin's body and mind. 

Dark lashes rested heavily against his cheeks, lips slightly parted. His signature in the force was a warm, molten glow of contentment.

Anakin’s eyes slowly fluttered open that morning to the sweet smell of tea leaves and cedarwood, a warm feeling all across his limbs, and — 

_Wait._

His eyes snapped open immediately only to confirm his suspicions… Anakin was wrapped around Obi-Wan like a kriffing child. He hastily pulled himself away.

This wasn’t entirely unusual, Anakin always had issues keeping his hands to himself, especially when it came to sharing a bed. In the past, it wasn’t unusual for a nine-year-old Anakin to come to his room after a particularly horrible nightmare. 

_But he wasn’t a small child anymore._

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to... invade your space.”

Obi-Wan groused at the loss of warmth, looking up at Anakin blearily. 

"You should apologize for letting the warm out." Obi-Wan murmured. He sat up, wrapping the heavy quilt around Anakin's shoulders. "Did you sleep well, dear one?"

Anakin nodded, his cheeks flushing a bright pink color from the forgotten nickname — Obi-Wan hadn’t called him that in quite a while. 

“Much better than I would have in the cold.”

"Good, I'm glad to hear it." Obi-Wan petted Anakin’s hair fondly before getting up out of bed to stretch. 

Anakin sat up straight against the bed frame, the quilt still resting warmly upon his hips. “So... I was thinking about trying to make some credits through mechanical work?”

"A mechanic? You'd certainly be good at it." Obi-Wan agreed, pulling a thermal shirt on. "We _do_ still have plenty of credits though, I hope your trip into town didn't leave you concerned about our finances." 

Obi-Wan had been putting on a very careful show of feigning nonchalance of Anakin's solo venture into town and out of his sight for the first time in over half of a year. He was quite proud of the fact that Anakin hadn't caught on that he'd spent the better part of the first hour or two without him frantically pacing about the main room of the house, casting out his presence in the Force, forlornly searching for that signature missing from his side.

“It’s not about the credits, I just... want to feel useful. You’re a really great caretaker, and over the last year it seems like you’ve had _three_ babies to tend to.” 

Anakin tensed up, he had never really confessed to his insecurities as a father. He had been in such horrible shape the first half of this year — sometimes he half expected the twins to grow up thinking Obi-Wan was their father instead of him. 

“I want to contribute _something_.”

Obi-Wan paused, tugging on a knit sweater. 

"Thank you, Anakin." He smiled warmly. "It means a great deal to me to hear that." He sat at the edge of the bed.

"Raising young isn't something that one naturally comes into. And you... certainly had your fair share of demons to work through." He braced Anakin's shoulder, as he more often did now when looking to offer comfort. 

"Your children love you, Anakin. And I... while I could never wish for the circumstances that brought us here, I do greatly appreciate feeling close to you once again." He said, his voice warm and fond.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without you…” Anakin said, his throat suddenly a bit dry. “You saved my life in a way, or at the very least my soul — most people would have just given up on me.” 

Anakin smiled warmly, grasping Obi-Wan’s hand in his own. He studied the smaller hand closely, and couldn’t help but allow his mind to wander... to think what this very hand might feel like caressing across his bare skin... wrapped around— 

_Force,_ Anakin really needed to get a hold of himself.

Obi-Wan touched his forehead to Anakin's nuzzling it briefly. 

"I couldn't have left you behind, not any more than I could have myself." He tipped Anakin's chin upward, placing a kiss on his forehead. His eyelashes were soft as silk against the man's cheek.

"Think no more of it, dear one."

  
  


················•·················

  
  


In the days to come, the heavy winter cold settled in thick over the mountain. Snows came in thick drifts, needing to be cleared off of the roof and the porch. Paths to the composting bins needed to be cleared regularly and other chores still needed seeing to. 

Anakin’s window was fixed and properly sealed, though he still complained of the nights being too long and too cold. Without much argument, Anakin took to Obi-Wan’s bed each night without fail after that first storm. In the old, drafty house there was no point in pretending the two men weren’t infinitely more comfortable sharing body heat.

Obi-Wan insisted that the two continue to hike the mountain, not wanting to fall into complacency with the poor weather. The two bundled up the twins in layers of coats, hats and mittens, taking them along strapped to their chests or in their hover pram on walks to get fresh air and take in the scenery as they continued to grow - and their young minds demanded more stimulation. 

As Life Day approached, the two-spotted and felled a young coniferous sapling out in the woods. They hauled it back to the house and set it up in the sparse main room, filling the house with a bright and earthy scent. 

As Jedi, neither man had celebrated the holiday before - or were even terribly familiar with the particulars of tradition. However, the setup and spectacle of it did give them something to look forward to — a way to celebrate surviving half a year together in the wilderness. 

Obi-Wan showed Anakin a trick Qui-Gon had shown him years ago, folding paper into lanterns that could hold small candles, which they kept a ready stock of in case of power failure. 

They made some simple decorations out of boughs and rough garlands to adorn the balcony railings and the mantle of the house. 

While Obi-Wan was still somewhat opposed to hunting, he made his peace with Anakin bringing back game from the abundant woods — often smaller animals or birds. The two were quickly gaining proficiency in plucking, cleaning, and butchering them to bolster the pantry and cut down on supply trips into town. 

That morning, Anakin returned from a trip into the woods with a fat Alderannian mountain goose. They took particular care in preparing it — stuffing it with citrus fruits and roasting it with root vegetables, bright with the last of the herbs from Obi-Wan’s garden that he had dried and saved before the seasons turned. 

“That was excellent,” Obi-Wan said after a truly wonderful dinner.

“I can barely believe you managed to pull that off.” Anakin laughed, similarly content and full just to the edge of discomfort. “That was like — an actual meal.” 

“We’ve come a long way.” Obi-Wan agreed. He turned his head to see Luke and Leia — starting to get antsy in their dining chairs having finished their dinner. 

“I’ll clean up, can you help Threepio get them set up in the main room with their playmat?”

Obi-Wan carefully broke down the remains of the goose, saving the uneaten meat and separating it from the carcass to be used the next day to make soup stock. 

"Did you and your mother celebrate Life Day out on Tatooine?" Obi-Wan asked from the kitchen. He made quick work of wiping down the counter and piling the dishes in the sink to soak.

In the main room by the base of the tree, Luke was balanced on Anakin's knee, grasping his father's fingers tightly. The twins were still a ways off from standing upright on their own, but it was fascinating to see them focus on the task, determined to sort out the mystery of upright balance.

"Oh no," Anakin scoffed with a small laugh, holding onto Luke tightly. "Life Day isn't as popular in the Outer Rim, and _especially_ not within the slave trade." 

After some trial-and-error, Obi-Wan managed to bake a batch of spiced ginger cookies earlier that afternoon. They didn't taste quite like those from the bakery in town, but he had managed to get them quite close. He had even had a go at icing patterns into them as the baker had. The effect was not nearly artistic but did give a seasonal flair to things. 

Obi-Wan sat down across from Anakin on the play mat. He placed the tray of cookies between them, picking up Leia in his arms. 

“There was another time,” Anakin continued, suddenly. He kept his eyes carefully trained on the base of the tree as he bounced Luke on his knee. “During the war… we were there long enough I was able to see Padme. In private, of course.” 

“Is that so?” 

“Yeah. Of course, the Senators had an extravagant dinner of their own. It would have been too suspicious for me to go with her. But it was… nice.” Anakin glanced sidelong at Obi-Wan, relieved to see the man looking relatively placid over his flagrant rule-breaking in the past. 

“It sounds like a fine memory,” Obi-Wan said with a soft smile. “Now, where did you leave those toys that you made for the twins?” 

It was strange, the sort of cobbled-together celebration that the two had. A meal, hand-whittled toys, and some old songs, a half-broken family in a warm house on the dark mountain.

Eventually, the twin dozed off on either man’s laps and were taken off to the nursery to sleep. 

Anakin and Obi-Wan returned to the main room and the glowing fire. 

"Next year we'll have to get some proper decorations," Obi-Wan said, throwing another log onto the flames. 

“I doubt the twins will even remember this one.” Anakin agreed. He watched Obi-Wan, his body cast in orange and gold tones from the fireplace.

It still seemed surreal to him - the notion of celebrating holidays. It was certainly not something Anakin was used to. It had been just him and his mother so long on Tatooine. 

While Anakin enjoyed every second with his children, something about the slow domestic, holiday celebrating lifestyle made him _antsy_.

_How was Obi-Wan adjusting so well?_

Maybe his former Master was just better at hiding it?

"Did I ever tell you about the time Satine celebrated Life Day with me?" Obi-Wan asked him with a sad half-smile. "It was during the year that we spent on the run together. We didn't have any lights, or decorations or gifts. But she taught me some traditional songs... She gave me an old hairpin she had with her. I wish I could remember what had happened to it over the years." He recalled wistfully. 

Obi-Wan had made another batch of cider for the occasion, the shot or two of Alderaanian rum-making him unusually candid. 

Anakin smiled and nodded as he listened intently to the story, the smallest feeling nagging deep within his gut. 

_Jealousy?_

It was ridiculous. He had absolutely no reason or justification to feel possessive over Obi-Wan. He and Obi-Wan weren’t even— well, he wasn’t entirely sure _what_ he and Obi-Wan _were_ exactly. Not anymore. 

Two old friends raising children together? 

Obi-Wan glanced to the side, reaching under a sparse shelf near the fireplace and retrieved a narrow, black box tied with a sash. 

"It's not much of anything really. But I hope.... well you'll see." Obi-Wan handed the parcel to Anakin. "This is for you."

“You got something for me?”

“Not precisely,” Obi-Wan said, almost apologetically.

Anakin untied the sash, setting the top aside. 

Inside the black box, laid Anakin’s own lightsaber - cleaned and polished. The same one that Obi-Wan had previously kept confiscated since they arrived.

“It doesn’t quite count as a proper gift. It’s always been yours.” He explained. “But... I think it’s high time you had it back.” He looked down at the box with a soft smile.

“I suppose what I _mean_ to say... I _trust you_ , Anakin.”

“Right when I was starting to get good with a blaster,” Anakin said in a teasing manner, his cheeks flaming and his heart racing. 

“I don’t... I don’t even know what to say, Obi-Wan. Thank you.” He took the hilt into his hand carefully, a concerned look written across his features. “I don’t deserve this.”

“It’ll be alright, Anakin.” Obi-Wan soothed. “You don’t have to keep it if you don’t want to. I can only hope the time will never arise where either of us have to draw our blades. But it **_is_ ** yours.” He insisted.

 _You know as well as I do, the time for these blades will come,_ Anakin thought to himself, his promise to end Sidious never far from his mind. 

But tonight, he bit his tongue instead. They didn’t need to talk about the Empire right now. 

Tonight they were set on relaxing together. A warm fire in the corner of the room, the twins fast asleep, and force... Obi-Wan smelled _so_ good. 

Distractingly good. 

He smelled like pine and citrus. He smelled like apples and cinnamon and warm sugar. 

_He smelled like Obi-Wan._

In fact, many things about Obi-Wan were suddenly very distracting. Anakin could hardly focus. If the other man had said anything in the last minute, Anakin certainly hadn’t been paying attention to it. 

_It had been so long since he was with someone._

What was so wrong with acting on his desires, especially when the moment was _right_? 

At least, that was the justification in Anakin’s mind as he leaned forward. Obi-Wan didn’t flinch as their shoulders brushed together. Anakin’s knee nudged against his. The man half-turned as Anakin leaned in, slowly inching closer to Obi-Wan’s lips. 

“Anakin,” Obi-Wan touched his cheek as he moved closer, caressing him, but also preventing him from closing the final space between them.

“What are you doing?” His words were soft, his eyes downcast. He asked with all the gentility in the world.

Anakin blinked once, twice. 

What _was_ he doing?

“I don’t— I wasn’t— Nothing?” Anakin fumbled over his words, hands trembling atop his lap. “I think... that I was trying to kiss you, but you stopped me.”

"I did," Obi-Wan breathed. His thumb caressed Anakin's cheek. 

"Oh Anakin, I didn't... you don't have to do this." He said, sounding heartbrokenly apologetic. "I hope I didn't give you the impression..."

Anakin shook his head quickly, “I did it because I wanted to. I’m... I’m not trying to start anything serious.” Anakin drew back, his cheeks suddenly quite hot - his words sounding far away and foreign as if they were coming from someone else entirely. 

“I just thought... since we could only see each other, that maybe _we_ could— but you’re not interested at all in, _you know,_ sleeping together?”

Despite the many words coming out of Anakin’s mouth, Obi-Wan’s expression continued to remain puzzled. 

“But Anakin, I’m... _old_.”

Of all the things Obi-Wan might have thought to say, he was surprised to hear what ended up saying.

“What?” 

Anakin almost sounded offended. “Master, that’s just bantha poodoo, and you know it. You are not too _old_ to have wants, it’s only human. It sounds like you would just rather not have anyone than have sex with me.” 

He crossed his arms over his chest defensively, a frown upon his lips.

Obi-Wan laughed, he couldn’t help it. The rum wasn’t helping, but the notion of Anakin — _his padawan_ — was pouting because Obi-Wan wouldn’t _fuck him_ was simply too bizarre to process.

“I don’t, of course not — Anakin, that’s not what I meant,” He ran his hand through his hair, gathering his composure.

“Anakin, we’re raising your children together, in hiding from a Sith Lord currently reigning over the entire galaxy. We can’t, oh — can’t you see we can’t?” His smile turned soft and sad.

“All this is for the children. Say we did,” Obi-Wan waved his hand, trying to keep the mental image of the two of them from overtaking him. “And things went _south._ What would we do then? Continue living together, hating one another under a single roof? Raising your children in that kind of environment? It wouldn’t be fair to them.

Anakin scoffed, “Obi-Wan, we almost _literally_ killed each not even a year ago, but casual sex is the thing that’s going to ultimately break us? _That’s_ the line?” He frowned. “You’re a Jedi, I thought this is what we’re _supposed_ to be doing.” 

Anakin would never forget the many uncomfortable conversations he had with Obi-Wan as a growing padawan, _(“Jedi are not celibate, Anakin, the only thing forbidden is attachment.”)_

He wanted Obi-Wan to say yes, but he knew his Master far too well. No matter how long Anakin pouted, Obi-Wan had made up his mind and Anakin was not going to convince him otherwise. 

“Fine,” Anakin renounced in defeat. “You’re right, it was a bad idea. _I guess_ I was being a little impulsive.”

Obi-Wan opened his mouth, then closed it again. Something very tender folded itself up into something tight and small inside of his heart. 

Did Anakin... truly consider himself _unattached_ from Obi-Wan? After all of this?

It barely took any reflection at all for Obi-Wan to know that he unquestionably was. To Anakin, to the twins. He was attached in a way he never could have allowed himself to be as a part of the Jedi order. Did Anakin truly feel no differently? 

Well... that was good, wasn't it? By Obi-Wan's own logic, it must be.

"It's alright, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, with a tight smile that did not reach his eyes. "I am sorry I couldn't be more... accommodating."

Anakin sighed, glancing down at the hands fidgeting on his knees. This might have been one of the most humiliating conversations he’d ever experienced. 

“Please don’t apologize, Obi-Wan. I’m the one that ruined our nice evening.” The one Obi-Wan had worked so hard on. He even _decorated cookies._

Anakin felt horrible. 

“I actually got you something too.” He quickly changed the subject, standing up to grab a small bag with a bow atop it off of the mantle. 

"Oh! Thank you, Anakin," Obi-Wan said, accepting the gift.

He opened it, finding a box of rare tea inside. 

It was a remarkably thoughtful gift. Obi-Wan had quite a broad but select variety of flavors he was quite fond of, none of which were typically available out in such a remote village. Anakin must have ordered it special for him. 

"Thank you dear one, truly." He said, with a kind smile. Though his stance and tone were identical to how they were a moment ago, something had undeniably shifted between them. The warmth ebbed a little bit. 

For the first time since that chilly evening, the two men wordlessly began sleeping in separate rooms once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Visit [Crys](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/whohatessand) and [Jo](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/jswander) on tumblr! Come send us some asks and yell at us about the story! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	7. Spring Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the lovely responses! If you have not noticed, this is the second to last chapter of Homestead. 
> 
> However, the story will be continued in Part 2 of the series! Hope you tune in for more even after Homestead is finished!

Winter persisted. 

Even as the days slowly grew longer and warmer, the deep snows gave way to freezing rain and silver sleet — which could arguably be seen as worse as things like mud and damp came with it. 

After the strange almost-moment that occurred on Life Day, an uneasy sort of distance settled between the two men. 

They were polite but formal.

The comfortable, familiar touches that had become so commonplace between the two of them dried up. The spaces that existed between one another physically before they had come to Alderaan made themselves known again. 

Obi-Wan made caf for Anakin in the morning. 

Anakin brought back little oddities from hunting trips to the woods he thought that Obi-Wan might like.

They ate dinner together and played games with the twins — talking to the children as they babbled and gestured and tried to make sense of the world around them. 

One wet and dismal day, Leia stood upright for the first time (clinging to the edge of the moth-eaten sofa). Anakin and Obi-Wan were at once seized with a determination to pad off every exposed corner in the house, which they took on with the same urgency and seriousness as any mission during the war.    
  
The heating failed only once. After Anakin fixed it, it ran smoothly and without issue. 

Obi-Wan got quite good at shortbread. The two started saving the soft, fluffy down from game birds brought back from the forest with vague notions of creating a quilt out of the twins' old baby clothes that they were rapidly outgrowing. 

Slowly, the sparse bony trees of the forest took on a smattering of bright green buds at the branch tips. The river and lake at the far side of the mountain swelled and rushed with melting snowdrifts. 

One morning, the two woke up to find that the fields outside the house had been swept up in a tide of little purple blossoms — fresh and clean out of the last of the new grass.

With the weather warming, Obi-Wan quickly found himself pursuing new tasks and chores outside of the house that they had confined themselves in for so long. 

The most recent thing fixing in Obi-Wan's mind was to fix up the old cuckoo coop in the back. 

The two ran out of eggs quite often — and it was one commodity that they couldn't get as readily as fresh meat or foraged mushrooms from the forest. 

Obi-Wan and Anakin spent some time tearing out rotten boards of the old coop, setting new ones, and plotting out space to wire up a new run for them. Despite the lingering chill in the air, both men had cast their winter coats aside. Obi-Wan had even rolled up the sleeves of his thick flannel shirt, enjoying the feel of sunlight with some proper heat behind it. 

Luke and Leia sat and watched from their mobile playpen on the grass, a safe distance away from the tools and exposed nails while R2-D2 watched over them. 

"I suppose this will all need to be replaced?" Obi-Wan asked Anakin, yanking out the old wiring system that had been set up to keep the hut warm during the cold season. "We likely won't be needing it soon, but we may need to get more wire in town to complete the run." He mused. 

Altogether, Obi-Wan had been impressed with how far the two had managed to get on what tools they had readily available. A trip for supplies had really been a given from the start.

“We could always use more supplies.” Anakin agreed... plus, going into town would give him the opportunity to pick up some more parts for the new speeder. There were only so many modifications he could make without the proper tools. (He also wanted to add to child safety seats for the twins when they were old enough.) 

Despite rebuilding the coop, Anakin had been noticeably antsy recently. He tinkered with the speeder, the ship, the kitchen equipment, the prams... even his own arm. 

If it had wiring, Anakin had messed with it. Whenever he wasn’t caring for the twins, Anakin craved the distractions. As long as he kept busy, it eased the sharp tension between him and Obi-Wan. 

“I could go today? It would give me a chance to pick up some more clothes for Luke and Leia too. They’ve outgrown almost everything we’ve gotten them.” 

It was difficult to believe that Luke and Leia were going to be an entire-year-old soon, though the joy of the milestone came with a keen ache of sorrow. 

It would be difficult to pretend the twins’ first birthday was not tainted by the other less pleasant anniversaries.

Obi-Wan sat down primly on the edge of the twin's play mat. The twins were getting into a tussle over one of the toys Anakin had made for them, both working one another up to a proper little tantrum. 

"That's not a bad idea," Obi-Wan said, a bit more loudly to be heard over the noise. He scooped Leia up into his arms, who started squirming and tugging at him angrily as she cried. "I need a few things as well." He commented, glancing up at the sun for an approximation of the time. Leia reached out with her arms, causing the star-patterned block that Luke had pulled from her to pop out of his arms, floating halfway to her before landing at Obi-Wan's knee. 

Neither child liked that.

Obi-Wan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as a fresh round of agonized tears and wails ensued. 

He set down Leia on the mat and gestured at the blocks, causing them to spring to life — spinning and circling around one another in rapid succession. 

It proved to be sufficiently distracting. The twins were soon laughing with delight, watching the display.

“Oh come  _ on _ , how is  _ that _ not an inappropriate use of the Force?” Anakin frowned, crossing his arms over his chest in a stubborn manner. “You got onto me so many times for that!” 

"By all means, feel free to report me to Master Yoda. It may be some manner of decades before you find him." Obi-Wan leaned back on the play mat, continuing to propel the blocks to bob and dance. Luke babbled happily, smacking his hands excitedly on the man's stomach, tugging at the buttons of his shirt. 

Anakin sighed, looking from Luke to Leia. The older they became, the more their difference in features began to show. His daughter sported brunette hair and brown eyes just as Padmé did, and Luke... he looked so much like Anakin at that age. 

“I wish my mother could have met them. She would have loved Leia, but she would go crazy over Luke. He looks exactly like I did at his age.” Anakin said with a sad smile.

Obi-Wan glanced over at Luke, petting the soft blonde hair on his head. It caught gold in the sun, just like his father's used to.

"I wonder if it'll darken as he gets older — as yours did." Obi-Wan mused, hefting Luke up to sit properly on his chest. "They're both going to be stunning, at any rate."

Despite their occasional moments of tense awkwardness — in moments like this it was difficult not to feel content under the first proper sun of the new spring season.

Anakin absentmindedly ran a hand across the top of his hair. It appeared much darker now pulled into a low bun, the light less likely to reflect off the undertones of blonde. Maybe he should consider a haircut soon? 

“Threepio is going to be here any minute now for their nap, do you want to head into the village once they’re asleep?”

“Yes, alright.” Obi-Wan sat up quickly, grabbing Luke around the middle as he did. The boy shrieked with delight at the sudden change, and again when Obi-Wan gave him a little toss into the air, catching him on the way down.

“ _ Baba _ !” Leia waved her hands insistently.

“Yes, alright darling,” Obi-Wan set down Luke, giving Leia a similar toss-and-catch.

Obi-Wan took both twins into his arms, standing up with some difficulty.

“Anakin, help me would you?” He asked as Luke tugged on his beard. “They’re getting big. We likely won’t be able to hold both of them at once before long.” He said with a wistful smile.

“Oh, I’m just enjoying the show.” Anakin sat back, a smug grin upon his lips as he watched both twins squirm in Obi-Wan’s arms repeatedly. Anakin took Luke into his arms, the small child far less likely to grab onto Anakin’s beard as it was not quite as bushy.

Obi-Wan laughed, leaving the twins things out in the yard for the time being as they brought them back inside.

The sky was a stark and flawless blue — the toys could easily be collected in the evening. 

  
  


-

As expected, the drive into town was a stunning one. The trees had not yet fully come into bloom, but the branches were starting to fill with round ripening buds — heavy with the promise of soft and stunning flowers. The fields and orchards were all there — just on the brink of dazzling blossom. 

After so many months of barren trees and snow, the landscape was finally starting to resemble the world that Obi-Wan had first touched down on a lifetime ago with the twins — half-sick with worry over what had transpired and what was still to come. He glanced aside at the passenger car where Anakin was riding, looking out across the landscape. 

Certainly, things were still a bit awkward at times. But would it be selfish of him to consider himself at peace — or something terribly close to it?

When they arrived into town, Anakin hopped off the speeder, inspecting the vehicle to see how it was holding up.

“I think it’s riding pretty well, don’t you? Of course, I’d really be able to tell if you would have let me drive.”

"Yes, I'd say your ability to push a vehicle beyond its natural limits has not diminished with time." Obi-Wan agreed with a dry smile, getting out of the speeder, and stretching. 

Looking around the interior of the shop in front of the lumber mill, Obi-Wan realized the place would likely have all that they needed to complete the project (save for the cuckoo hens themselves). They really didn't need too many supplies to finish the coop. 

They would be able to move on to the next project before long. 

Over the winter the two had managed to accomplish several more tasks around the house. 

The walls had been sealed and painted. 

A few more pieces of furniture filled out the sparse rooms. 

The windows and doors now opened and closed without a creak. 

Obi-Wan's eyes flicked across the store. His mind — as it ever did — toward the next task that might occupy Anakin's frenetic mind. 

He supposed the balcony could use some attention. 

The exterior of the house could use a new coat of paint as well — that would take some time to do. 

And after that? 

_ After that...?  _

  
  


-

  
  


"Hey there!" A voice spoke up from somewhere above them.

Sumi slid down a ladder she had been using to reach the top shelves of the shop. She landed in front of Anakin with a dimpled smile.

"So you survived the winter! What can I get'cha?"

“Hello! Sumi, right?” Anakin asked with a large grin. He glanced around the shop, trying to catch his eye on the materials they needed. 

“We’re actually here for some wood and wiring for the coop, trying to get it fixed up.”

"Looking to pick up some chicks, huh?" She grinned, clearly looking terribly pleased with herself over the pun. "Sure I can get you sorted out! There's plenty of wiring here." She hopped around the back of the counter, getting some things from storage. 

"I'm surprised to see the both of you down here! Is someone else looking after your kids? They must be nearly a year old now."

“They went down for a nap when we left, and our protocol droid is looking after them.” Anakin rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke. 

“I know it’s not necessarily traditional to use droids as babysitters, but they’re family. I’d trust them with my life.”

"Hey, it's alright. You guys are making do with what you have." Sumi said, hauling some of the supplies up to the front. "That's all any of us are doing out here. I know some of the ladies — they like to gossip — are excited to meet them though. A lot of people are moving out of these small towns, we don’t have too many little ones." She shrugged, leaning her elbows on the counter of the shop. 

"I suppose I may have to eventually too... though I'd stay forever if I could," She said with a wistful smile, tilting just on the edge into Anakin's space.

Anakin’s cheeks flushed a bright red. 

Was she...  _ flirting _ with him?

He laughed nervously, unsure how to move away without coming across as rude. 

“Well, if you’d like to stay then you should, right? Why leave if you don’t want to?” He said politely before moving to inspect the wood. 

"Well, I have to get out of my parent's house at  _ some _ point." She grinned, taking a look over their wares and summing it up. "Looks like you're at around thirty credits. I'll help you bring it out to your speeder." Sumi offered, grabbing one of the bags of nails and fittings before Anakin could protest. 

Obi-Wan had been pondering a selection of brass shower handles when he saw the two of them heading outside together. 

Something terrible and important shifted deep in Obi-Wan's gut.

When the coop was done, when the garden was planted. 

What to work on next?

What did Anakin need next?

Sumi laughed a little too loudly at something that Anakin had said. She placed a hand on his shoulder in a way that looked quite natural to do. 

_ Ah, of course. _

Obi-Wan blinked, looking a little dumbstruck at the revelation. 

Not right now, perhaps not this year. 

Perhaps not even her — this bright intelligent and lovely woman in her prime. 

But someone. 

Anakin would want, would  _ need _ to have someone.

Wasn't that what all of this was about? 

Obi-Wan could have fought him on Mustafar. He could have slain him, maimed him. Locked him up someplace deep and dark, it'd be far easier to ensure the Emperor would never find him. 

But he brought him here. 

Someplace he could raise his children, live free from the destiny that had hung over his head his entire life. 

For what purpose, if not to eventually arrive at this happy ending? 

Obi-Wan glanced around the empty shop, fidgeting a bit. He was suddenly all too aware of his own self taking up space that was only meant to be temporary — like a bit of scaffolding around a completed structure. 

Maybe on that day, some months from now. Anakin would be able to love with the full capacity of his heart. The twins having a mother again. 

He placed the brass handle down, everything felt like it was moving in slow motion — thick through some kind of mire. 

He could get an apartment in town, perhaps. Above the bookshop. That would be nice, wouldn't it?

He could visit them for weekly or monthly dinners, perhaps when Anakin came into town. 

The twins would still know him. He'd be their Uncle Ben, perhaps. 

_ Not 'Baba.’ _

Obi-Wan laughed, the sound half-cracked in his throat. 

_ What in the world is wrong with me? _

When Anakin arrived back into the shop, he noticed Obi-Wan hardly left the exact spot he stood in previously. It was unlike his former Master to not once offer his help in bringing supplies to the speeder. 

"Are you alright?" Anakin asked, coming up to place a hand upon the man's shoulder. "We finished loading everything into the speeder if you want to head back? Sumi said she could throw together a pile of clothes for twins if we wanted to come back for that another day."

"Hm?" Obi-Wan jerked at the touch, blinking at Anakin as he was brought back into focus. "Oh, yes of course — I'm terribly sorry Anakin. Yes, was — was there anything else you wanted to get from any of the shops?" 

In a matter of moments, the strangeness of Obi-Wan's being was cast off. He returned to his usual implacable self.

Still, Anakin raised an eyebrow curiously — Obi-Wan had never called him  _ Anakin  _ while in town before. Of course, Sumi wasn’t in the room at the time, but it was very unlike Obi-Wan to slip at all. 

Something was definitely bothering him. 

“I’m alright with heading back now if you are?” Anakin smiled softly, he missed the twins anyway and was hoping to head off before Sumi tried to talk him into joining him for lunch again.

She was kind, but not his type.

"Yes... I think that's a good idea." Obi-Wan agreed. "If we make good time we won't be too late for dinner."

Obi-Wan even let Anakin drive back, taking the sidecar for himself. He spent a decent portion of the trip watching the horizon, looking distant. 

-

Anakin was careful to give Obi-Wan space when they returned to the house. At dinner, he focused on wrangling Luke and Leia into their chairs and food into their mouths, making a large show of it ("open wide for the x-wing!") to cover the lack of conversation between the two. 

That evening, after wrangling the twins into bed — Anakin finally approached Obi-Wan, determined to break the silence before the day was done. 

He found the man standing out on the porch, watching the sunset a molten orange-gold. The light spilled over the treetops and fields, all the way up to where Obi-Wan stood, washing him in warm tones. 

"You know," Anakin said casually, leaning against the doorpost. "We should probably run the ship. It's been a year now."

Anakin held up his hands at the sudden, fraught look that Obi-Wan gave him. "Not to fly it anywhere! But the engine will corrode if it doesn't get some heat in its gears. We should probably have it in working order in case of an emergency, right?"

"Oh. Yes, of course." Obi-Wan settled. "It'll have to be in the morning. I... compromised the ship when we first arrived."

“Compromised? What do you mean by that?” Anakin stood up straight, his brow furrowed in focus.

Obi-Wan stroked his beard, hiding a dry smirk behind his hand. 

"The core modulator is currently buried in a tree, out in the woods." He said, clearly doing his best to sound nonchalant about it all and keep from laughing. "I hid it out there... sometime after chaining you to the bed before you woke up."

“You buried it in the woods?” Anakin looked horrified, “ _ Kriff _ waiting until morning Obi-Wan. That piece can stop working if you’ve left it outside through all this weather!”

Anakin couldn’t believe he would leave such a vital piece  _ outside _ for almost a year. 

"Hm, I hadn't considered that," Obi-Wan said, looking properly apologetic now. "Yes, alright I'll grab our coats."

The sun was on its way down, but the two knew the woods quite well by now. Obi-Wan and Anakin walked side-by-side through the underbrush. Despite not thinking much about the part itself, he had been careful not to forget the route he had taken. 

Obi-Wan smiled to himself, glancing alongside Anakin. 

"The last time I came this way was the first time I sang the Blue Crystal lullaby to the twins."

It was one of their favorites now. 

They arrived at the little grove of trees. After a bit of searching, Obi-Wan identified the gnarled oak with the hollow in the trunk. It had to be partially exhumed from a squirrel's nest and had accumulated a bit of dirt and dust — but appeared to be in one piece. 

"Well?" Obi-Wan handed it to Anakin. "Are we stranded then?"

Anakin took the modulator from Obi-Wan, turning it over in his hands, blowing into the crevasse to scatter the dust. 

“I guess there’s only one way to find out.” He looked excited with a smirk. 

Just the thought of ship maintenance made him giddy, like a child who had been promised an extra dessert. He hurried over to their ship, continuing to clean and fiddle with the piece as they went. 

Stepping inside the ship felt like a strong blast of nostalgia — it was Padmé’s Naboo cruiser. He often wondered before why Obi-Wan had taken her ship... but of course, Obi-Wan would have chosen it instead of a Republic vessel, one far less likely to arouse suspicion if discovered.

Anakin walked through the quiet interior to the cockpit. 

He ran his hand across the panel, scattering a thin coating of dust as he went. Hoping for the best, Anakin snapped the missing piece into place. The ship started with a putter, the dash and lights flickering on. Anakin whooped with delight, throwing his arms over his head. 

“I take it, that's good?” 

“It’s not…  _ ideal. _ ” He grinned, taking the ship through its start-up sequence. “But considering the state of her, it's better than nothing!”

Following the ship’s ship’s start-up sequence, a hologram from Bail Organa popped up near the control panel. 

“Obi-Wan,” Anakin looked over his shoulder from where he sat at the pilot’s seat, “I think Bail has been leaving you some messages.”

"Oh dear, I hope he's alright. Can you play them, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked urgently, taking hold of his arm.

Anakin smiled at him, nodding quickly. 

Admittedly, he was surprised Obi-Wan trusted him enough to hear the messages as well.

“This is the most recent one,” he added before playing the holo-message.

_ "Obi-Wan. I hope this finds you well." _

The blue, holographic bust of Bail Organa flickered to life before them, casting a soft glow on the cockpit. 

_ "I hope you can pardon an old friend who worries for you. Please ensure I have taken every precaution to guarantee this line is secure."  _ His tone was carefully formal, polite and detached. __

_ "I know that your mission as long as you see fit is the safekeeping of the children of Padme Amidala. This is not a call to arms, but rather an update I felt was necessary to inform you..." _ He glanced to the side, steeling himself.  _ "While I wish more than anything to have Alderaan be a refuge for you and yours... I cannot ignore the fact that there is simply no safe harbour to be had in a galaxy run by a madman.” _

_ “If we do not oppose the tyranny of those in power, we are complicit in the atrocities they commit." _

Bail closed his eyes, taking a moment to compose himself.

_ "One of Padme's final acts in this world was to lay the seeds of resistance against this new Empire. I will be standing behind it, as a part of the new Resistance."  _ He placed a hand on his chest solemnly. _ "Alderaan will continue to act as a peaceful core planet as long as possible. Please believe that all I do, it is for the safety of my people."  _ He held his hand out, an offering to Obi-Wan through the call.

Anakin stood quietly, his expression worried as concern bled through his bond with Obi-Wan.

“This isn’t good, Obi-Wan,” Anakin said quietly. “Bail is an  _ idiot _ if he thinks Palpatine won’t find out he’s behind this. Alderaan can only play the part of a peaceful Empire planet for so long.” Anakin began to pace anxiously around the ship. 

“No one knows what he’s capable of!”

Obi-Wan turned to Anakin, alarmed at the powerful waves of concern Anakin was emanating through the Force. 

Nothing ever worried Anakin. 

"I do agree," Obi-Wan said, crossing his arms. "I still have trouble getting my head around it sometimes. To think that the Republic was led by a master of the sith for so many years." He shook his head, watching Anakin sadly. "You heard Bail though, the notion of anyone place being truly safe in these times... it simply may not be."

“You have  _ no _ idea, Obi-Wan... There are things you and Bail don’t know.” Anakin turned his face away, a guilty expression in his eyes. 

“We should consider leaving this planet.”

Obi-Wan laughed. He didn't mean to, he knew Anakin was distressed. "Leave? After all we've done here?" He asked, sad and incredulous and apologetic of his Anakin's misery all at once. "My dear heart, wherein the galaxy would we go?"

“I-I don’t know. Tatooine? Anywhere but here... anywhere that’s not aligned with a rebellion.” 

Anakin clenched his fist, “You think the Empire is bad now? You have no idea how bad it will get.” 

No one knew. 

No one but Anakin had even the slightest idea. 

“He’s building a weapon...”

Obi-Wan's eyes narrowed. He shifted, turning in full to face Anakin now. 

The two had been through war together. Seen all forms of weapons, executed in increasingly creative and horrific ways.

He never saw this expression on Anakin's face before. 

"Tell me what you know," Obi-Wan said, darkly.

“Before you and Padmé showed up on Mustafar, we briefly discussed future plans together. He told me about a weapon... a  _ huge _ weapon, like the galaxy has never seen before — a planet killer.” Anakin couldn’t quite meet Obi-Wan’s gaze as he continued. 

“The blueprints have been in development for years right under our noses. I don’t know much more... only that he already had a genius engineer in mind for the project.”

"A planet killer?" Obi-Wan repeated. His insides were going cold. "You mean like the virus the Separatists attempted to use to wipe out Naboo?"

“Much  _ worse. _ A weapon with the capability to reduce an entire planet to dust within minutes. But Palpatine knows the Imperial Senate would never allow such a weapon, so he’s building in private.”

Obi-Wan balked. He took a step back, his knees giving way as he sank into the pilot's chair of the ship. 

He could scarcely believe it. He didn't  _ want _ to believe it. He wouldn't — if not for seeing firsthand walking through the silent halls of the temple exactly what the Emperor was capable of. 

"Anakin..." He breathed, running a hand through his hair in disbelief. "If that is the case, if that is true, we have to tell Bail — at once! There isn't a moment to lose!"

“And when Bail asks you how you know this, what are you going to say, Obi-Wan?” Anakin challenged, rounding on him. “He’ll find out about me, and try to take me away!” 

Anakin gripped onto Obi-Wan's hand, tears burning in the corners of his eyes. “Please don’t! We just leave this planet and run away together with the twins. Just the four of us,  _ please _ , I’m happy with you!”

"Anakin!" Obi-Wan leaned forward, aghast, and astounded at how quickly he was going to pieces. "Anakin that's absurd, I'd never let anyone hurt you." He grasped Anakin's hand that clutched his. 

"I will  _ never _ let anyone take you from me."

“You don’t know that!” 

Anakin’s mind was full of panic, trying to think of any last thing he could say to stop Obi-Wan. He knew his motivations were selfish, but Anakin didn’t care — he wouldn’t be separated from the only family he had. 

No matter what Anakin said... no matter what happened, there was  _ one _ common thread. 

The one thing that had ruined everything for all of them. The very cause of this in the first place. 

_ Palpatine. _

Anakin released Obi-Wan, his eyes growing dark with rage as the realization and resolution settled over him. “You won’t have to tell Bail... because I’m going to kill Palpatine.”

“And how are you going to do that, Anakin?” 

Obi-Wan asked, his voice careful and low.

He recognized that thrum across the Force, like the first three chords of a dark anthem heralding a storm.

“I haven’t figured that part out yet, but I’m going to. I’m going to go to Coruscant and end all of this. This is what I should have done a long time ago.” 

There was a crazed look in Anakin’s eye, one riddled with revenge and passion. “I’m doing this for you and the twins — I have to keep you safe.”

"Anakin, you have to see reason!" Obi-Wan stood, not letting go of Anakin's hand. "Just... fly out to Coruscant? The Emperor thinks you're dead! If you fail — not only," he faltered, his vision swimming. "Not only will I  _ lose you -  _ but Palpatine will inevitably surmise that if you survived, your children must have as well!"

He shook his head, he could feel the brimstone of Mustafar stinging his eyes all over again. 

"All of this has been for them, don't you see that? Our lives are for them! Mine and yours!"

“Then I won’t fail! Please, Obi-Wan, please... I have to make this right somehow. You know as well as I do that he can’t stay in power.” 

Anakin felt desperate, he couldn’t allow Palpatine to hurt or separate them any longer. 

“Why can’t you just let me try?”

At that moment, the pain that the two shared across their bond resonated, harmonized in a way that made what Obi-Wan needed to do quite clear to him. 

Obi-Wan stood, moving toward him in one swift motion. Anakin was suddenly surrounded by the scent of cedar and tea leaves. A hand cupped the back of his head to brace him as he was pushed roughly against the wall of the ship. 

He hovered there, for just a moment. Hair askew, teeth slightly bared. There was a wild,  _ fierce _ look in his eyes that contained all the words that could not be spoken or known. 

For a moment, neither man scarcely breathed. 

Anakin's eyes flicked down to Obi-Wan's lips. 

And then, they were kissing. 

It was all heat and teeth and passion. Obi-Wan tugged at Anakin's plush lower lip before thrusting forward, taking him bodily. The fire blazed and seared away the months of stress and anxiety of stolen half-glances in close quarters, unable to touch. Fingers knotted in Anakin's long hair, pulling his head back to better give Obi-Wan access to his mouth and throat and heart.

_ Because you are mine. _

Anakin melted into the kiss, his body going slack against the wall and Obi-Wan’s body. 

_ Yours, yours, yours, _ Anakin’s thoughts returned through their shared bond, a bond that now felt as if it had been lit on fire. It burned brightly between the two of them — hot to the touch. 

When they eventually pulled away, both men stood there breathing heavily. Pupils blown fully wide as they gazed into each other’s eyes, breathless. 

“Ok,” Anakin simply said, “I won’t leave.”

"No." Obi-Wan agreed, his eyes slowly roving down Anakin's face. He stole another soft, delicate kiss to the side of Anakin's mouth. "And no one will take you from me."

He spoke, with finality. 

Not Bail, not a woman from the village. 

Anakin would be his, always. He would see to it. 

Something dark coiled victorious and smug in the pit of his gut. A flicker of something that the Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi would have never allowed to take root. 

But the Jedi were no more. His old life was gone. 

His new one was here, breathless and yearning in his arms. 

"Do you understand this, Anakin?" He asked quietly, his lips touching the shell of Anakin's ear as he held him.

“Yes,” Anakin breathed a soft moan from his lips. “Please, that’s all I want...  _ this _ is all I want.” 

But unfortunately, Obi-Wan was right before, Bail  _ did _ need to know about the weapon. Despite how much Anakin would much prefer to ignore it — instead standing here with one another close. 

This weapon was bigger than just the two of them. 

It was about the safety of the Galaxy as a whole, and telling him was the right thing to do. 

“You were right, we should tell Bail.” Anakin took a deep breath, trying to compose himself after the kiss. “I was being selfish.”

"You were being a concerned father." Obi-Wan soothed. He brushed away stray tears on Anakin's face with the pads of his thumbs. "and a good man."

His hands ran down to Anakin's shoulders, giving them an encouraging squeeze, prompting Anakin to stand a bit straighter. 

"I told you on Life Day that I trusted you, Anakin. Tell me, do you trust me?"

“More than anything,” Anakin said immediately, without a second thought to possibly doubt his words. “I’d trust you with my life,  _ and _ the twins’.”

Obi-Wan watched Anakin for a long moment, drinking in the sight of him. 

"Thank you, Anakin." He breathed. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to kiss him again. To pull him down onto the pilot's seat and sink into his neck and shoulders and lips.

He wanted to take him outside and have him under the stars, warm bodies connecting under the cold spring air and the star-fired sky. 

But he had already stolen far too many kisses in the name of shocking Anakin out of his rage. 

He could not be so cruel to impose himself further on Anakin now. 

"You can stay beside me if you'd like." He offered. He still sounded a bit breathless but worked for composure now. "Or out of sight, if you'd prefer."

There was no point in waiting. Bail would have to be alerted now, while they had the momentum to do so.

“I want to stay with you,” Anakin spoke gently, his fingertips brushing against Obi-Wan’s arms ever so slightly. 

He wished there was more time — more time for them to be together, right here, right now. 

This conversation with Bail would certainly put a damper on the mood. 

“I think I’m ready — Unless you want to postpone the fate of the galaxy to kiss a little more?”

Obi-Wan gave Anakin a flat look, gifting his  shoulders another little squeeze, righting him. 

The transmission rang out for a few long, tense, and quiet moments. Obi-Wan knew Bail was a busy man. Perhaps he wouldn't have time to answer at all. 

But then, his image flickered to life on screen — his eyes going immediately to Obi-Wan. 

"Obi-Wan," His voice was thick with emotion — longing and unspeakable relief. "You look  _ well _ ." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger!! How is Bail going to react??
> 
> Visit [Crys](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/whohatessand) and [Jo](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/jswander) on tumblr! Come send us some asks and yell at us about the story! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	8. Spring Part 2

"Obi-Wan," 

Bail Organa's voice was thick with emotion — longing and unspeakable relief. "You look _well_." 

Obi-Wan smiled, his head canted toward him. 

"Yes, thank you Bail. As do you." 

"I knew that you were planning on cutting off transmissions, I must admit I had feared—" His eyes flickered, only just noticing Anakin standing at Obi-Wan's side. "I do trust all is well?" 

"Yes, quite well thank you. The twins are healthy, we've been enjoying quite a peaceful existence out here.” Obi-Wan’s tone remained carefully light, hands raised. 

“ I'm... ah, I'm afraid the news that we bring you is troubling of a different sort. About the Rebellion, and plans concerning the Empire." 

Bail blinked in surprise. A cool, implacable expression — carefully trained over years of working in the Senate settled over his face. He glanced between the two of them, his gaze settling on Anakin. 

"I do apologize," He said with kind formality. "Please excuse my rudeness, I'm afraid we haven't been introduced. I am Senator Bail Organa."

Anakin’s face went entirely pale. 

_Bail didn’t recognize him?_

He supposed the beard and change in hairstyle could fool the Senator over a hologram, considering he and Bail never _really_ spent any quality time together. 

What was he _supposed_ to say?.

“Bail, it’s me, Anakin.” Anakin stuttered over his words nervously, “Y-You know, Skywalker?”

Bail didn't say anything for a moment, slowly putting the pieces together. 

"Anakin?" He said the name slowly. He looked between them, glaring from one to the other. "What… What is the meaning of this? You're meant to be _dead_ — you pledged your loyalty to the Emperor! Was that a farce?"

Obi-Wan crossed his arms, taking a moment to consider. 

They could lie. 

It would be easy to. 

Construct a world where Anakin had always planned on betraying the Emperor. Let him retire a hero instead of a traitor. 

Obi-Wan dismissed the thought. 

There were too many details that wouldn't add up — not the least of all why Obi-Wan would insist on hiding Anakin's presence on Alderaan from Bail if the man had nothing to hide. 

In a world undone, trust was a commodity not to be squandered. 

"No." Obi-Wan bowed his head, nearly buckling under the heated, angry silence that fell over the room. "Anakin was swayed by Darth Sideous to the dark side of the Force. During our confrontation on Mustafar, I managed to subdue him. In the past year, I have been helping him resolve his path to return to the Light."

"But you told me he—" Bail sighed darkly. "No, I suppose you never did, did you? You let myself and the galaxy draw our own conclusions of his fate."

" _Please_ forgive me, my friend." 

The two did not speak for another long, tense moment. 

"What news then, was so urgent for you to reveal your lies to me?" Bail asked at last.

“Senator, I know you have your own reservations about seeing me again, but all I ask is that you put them aside momentarily.” Anakin stood up straight, his expression serious and concerned. 

“Palpatine is building a huge weapon right underneath the Senate’s nose. A weapon with the capability to destroy _entire_ _planets_ with ease. I don’t know who’s working on the project — or even much more aside from that.” 

Anakin looked away, the guilty expression in his eyes left him far too vulnerable. “Senator Organa, I only ask that you tread carefully with this Rebellion. Sidious can’t know you’ve found out about the weapon... you have to fight it in secret for your best chance.” 

Anakin could only hope that if Palpatine did find out, he wouldn’t trace the information back to him.

Bail crossed his arms, a heavy glower on his face. 

"I... appreciate you coming to me with this news. But I'm sure you'll understand that the word of a man who turned against his own Order to support the Emperor will hold little weight among the Rebellion. For us to do anything useful with this information, to save the lives of those we fight for... I'm going to need something I can _use_."

"Is there _anything_ else you recall, Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked desperately. "The planet it’s being built on? Its power source?"

“Kyber crystals... a lot of them,” Anakin said grimly, furrowing his brow to recall. “It’s the only thing strong enough to power the weapon, he must be taking them from the deceased Jedi’s lightsabers.” Anakin clenched his fists with distaste. “As well as other planets that harbor them.” 

Obi-Wan's head was buried in his hand, struggling to release his despair at the notion that the sabers of his fallen comrades might be reused for a weapon of such unspeakable violence. 

“I know you have no reason to trust me,” Anakin continued. “But I wouldn’t make this up. I just want to protect my _family_.” He glanced over to Obi-Wan, a desperately adoring look upon his blue eyes.

"It's not much..." Bail murmured. "But it's not nothing either. Do you know what planets they would be going to in order to harvest Kyber crystals?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan said heavily, his eyes closed. "Yes, I can send you the coordinates." 

"Then it's a start." The Senator nodded. "Alright, Skywalker. I'll pass on the information. We can see what kind of merit your lead has." He leaned back in his chair, appraising both of them darkly.

"For the record, I'm not pleased that you lied to me about this, Obi-Wan." 

"I understand." Obi-Wan bowed his head again. "I hope you can trust that I did what I felt that I had to." 

"I would like to speak with you on this further," He glanced to Anakin for the briefest flicker of a moment. "In private." 

"Anakin," Obi-Wan turned to him. "Can you wait for me outside the ship? I won't be long."

“Of course,” Anakin nodded quickly, hurrying outside the ship so they could continue. He could sense the anxiety radiating from Obi-Wan.

-

Obi-Wan ended up taking nearly another forty minutes on the ship. 

When he emerged to re-join Anakin, he looked quite tired and a bit shaken. 

"He wanted to have you questioned by the Rebel leaders," Obi-Wan said as the two walked back from the ship on the dirt path back to the house. “That was after I managed to convince him that this entire exchange concerning the Empire’s weapon was not really some secret plot to help the Emperor." He explained, with a weak laugh. 

"We saw eye-to-eye in the end. He's content to have you remain here, with myself acting as your — well, guardian, I suppose is the kindest way to put it. The two of us are not to leave the planet of the Willowemoc region without his clearance. It was the best I could manage as a compromise."

Obi-Wan looked over to Anakin with a wry smile. 

"I think it's for the best that neither of us reach out to Bail, no matter the circumstances for quite some time." He continued carefully, squeezing Anakin's shoulder. Obi-Wan laughed sadly. "In fact, that was the... final point the two of us agreed on." There was a raw sort of sadness in his voice. 

Anakin glanced at the ground, his hands fidgeting. 

“I’m so sorry, Obi-Wan. This is all my fault... I should have never—“ 

Should have never what? 

Turned against the Republic?

_It was far too late for that now, wasn’t it?_

"Please, Anakin. It's alright. You did the right thing, telling me about this. Letting me tell Bail. Hopefully, we averted a great evil on this night."

“No matter how angry he was, Bail will come around... He really cares about you.” Anakin pleaded, a desperate attempt to make Obi-Wan feel even just slightly better. 

Obi-Wan only sighed. 

The two came around the bend out of the dark woods. 

Their home sat on the far side of the fields, the warm golden glow through the windows welcoming them home. 

"Luke and Leia are that much safer now. _You_ are safe. That is all that matters."

Anakin shook his head quickly, “No, that isn’t all that matters... _you_ matter too.” 

He couldn’t quite meet Obi-Wan’s gaze as they made their way back to the cabin, heavily shielding his insecurities from their shared bond. 

As they arrived at the cabin door, Anakin stopped for a moment, eyes never once lifting from the ground. 

“I’ve brought nothing but pain to your life since the day we met.”

"Anakin, sit with me." Obi-Wan sat down on the edge of the porch, gesturing for Anakin to join him. 

It was a cool evening, despite spring being well on its way. 

"My life with you has had its fair share of challenges, yes. But there is no doubt in my mind we would not have survived the last several years without one another." Obi-Wan looked up at the stars. 

"The constellations have shifted," Obi-Wan noted. "We're seeing a different part of the sky now than we would have in the winter. It's funny," He noted, tilting his head just so. "I always did know that, of course. That the constellations change with the seasons. But I don't recall ever being on one planet long enough at one time to witness it firsthand." 

Perhaps Coruscant would count, but stars never made it through the blaze of eternal light on that central core world.

Anakin sat down beside him, frowning to himself as Obi-Wan continued to speak. “But what are we going to do?” 

Bail had cut ties with them, the Empire’s presence was only growing…

It seemed they had taken two steps forward only to be shot five steps back. 

"Bail wasn't happy, Anakin. But you can trust he will act on the information we presented to him." Obi-Wan soothed, glancing over at him. "He will not dismiss such valuable information simply because he is upset by the manner of which it was obtained."

Anakin hummed in agreement. “I hope he treads carefully... If Palpatine finds out Bail knows about his superweapon, he’s going to wonder where a Senator could get that kind of information.”

"You don't make something like that on your own," Obi-Wan assured him. "Palpatine would have to have countless people involved in the process. There are many ways the information could make its way into the hands of the rebellion." 

Obi-Wan stroked his beard thoughtfully. "This may work in our favor as well. It will be useful to have someone within the Rebellion keeping an ear out in case any rumors of you still being alive may crop up."

“Too bad our one ear in the Rebellion wants nothing to do with me.” Anakin rested his elbows upon his legs, face buried within his hands. “I can’t imagine Bail would stick his neck out for me. Yours? Absolutely... but not mine.”

"Hm, yes that's true," Obi-Wan said, a grim smile twisting his lips. "But if you're going to make yourself upset over everyone who dislikes you, you're in for quite the miserable life." He rubbed Anakin's back soothingly. 

“That’s comforting, thank you,” Anakin answered sarcastically. 

"Please dear one, think no more of it. You did a good thing tonight."

A small smirk grew upon the corner of Anakin’s lip, “At least you still like me, or at least I assume so with the kiss you planted on me earlier.” 

"Yes," Obi-Wan said softly, the light of the stars danced off the strands of his hair and the curve of his lips as he spoke. "I still like you, Anakin."

Anakin narrowed his eyes carefully, disappointed to not get the reaction from Obi-Wan that he wanted. 

"Anakin, if there's something you'd like to ask me, then ask it outright," Obi-Wan said shrewdly. 

“I just want to know why you kissed me? On Life Day you seemed pretty straight forward that _this_ wasn’t happening.”

"I... just wanted to reach you. I suppose." Obi-Wan answered as if he were just considering the action now himself. "I still have troubling dreams about it sometimes." He said quietly, his gaze going far away again. "What would have become of us on Mustafar, if I had failed to reach you then." 

What Obi-Wan would have been forced to do. It was an outcome impossible to fathom, and yet they had drawn so close to it.

Anakin, however, didn’t entirely buy that answer. There had to have been other ways to reach him that didn’t involve kissing. 

“So there was _no_ other reason why? It was only to trick me into staying?”

That at least jolted Obi-Wan out of his reverie at last. 

"It... it certainly wasn't a _trick_ , Anakin." He hesitated, his eyes irrevocably drawn from Anakin's eyes, to his mouth — then back again. 

"On Life Day, when I didn't... it wasn't—" He sighed, bowing his head. "I... am sorry. What I did was terribly inappropriate, please forgive me."

“You don’t have to apologize, Obi-Wan. I liked it, if you couldn’t tell... and judging by the way you felt through our bond, it seems like you liked it too.” 

"What? Anakin!" Obi-Wan rankled at once, a fantastic flush lighting up his cheeks, ears, and neck. "Why in the world would you — this is hardly — _that is not an appropriate use of our training bond!"_ Was all he could think to say. He breathed out sharply, his mind a muddled array of twisted feelings.

_That wasn’t a denial,_ Anakin thought proudly. 

What could cause Obi-Wan to react like that — to be drawn to kiss him in the first place? 

_The pieces slowly started to sow together._

“Listen, if this is about that girl in town... I don’t— I’m not— interested... in her. I hardly even know her.” Anakin’s voice was smug, Obi-Wan’s jealousy felt strangely satisfying.

“Obi-Wan… if you want to kiss me again so badly, all you have to do is ask.” Anakin said softly, a poodoo-eating grin spread across his lips.

Obi-Wan's hair stood on end, his shoulders clenching tight.

"Anakin!" His voice sounded strangled. He leaned away, burying his face in one hand, before smoothing back his hair. 

How much more of this could he be expected to endure?

"I want..." He looked back at Anakin desperately. "I want you... to be happy."

Anakin gave a frustrated sigh, “It would make me happy if you kissed me again.” 

Obi-Wan laughed dryly. 

It was either laugh or cry. 

Of course, Anakin's desires that he expressed during Life Day would still be in full force. He was a hot-blooded man in his prime. 

Could Obi-Wan really expect him to live as a monk, when there were people like Sumi who would be naturally drawn to him?

Certainly, she didn't strike his fancy this time. But there would be others. Handsome young men back from the cities to visit relatives, or traders in town. 

The thought of it sent another dark flare-up Obi-Wan's spine. 

In consideration really, there was no choice at all. 

If Obi-Wan could not give up his desires for Anakin Skywalker, he would need to ensure that Anakin had no need to pursue carnal relief outside of the safe haven they had constructed together. 

Obi-Wan reached across the divide between them. Cool hands cupped the warm back of Anakin's neck. The pad of his thumb was strong against Anakin's jaw, stroking him there, urging him to relax, to lean back and into the touch. 

While their first kiss had been all heat and passion, this time it was careful and slow. 

Obi-Wan's breath ghosted warm over Anakin's lips before leaning in to taste and savor them.

Anakin dissolved into the kiss, his body inching closer until they were sitting up against one another. His hand rested atop Obi-Wan’s thigh, the other snaking its way up to gently cup the man’s cheek. 

Obi-Wan’s beard was soft.

Desire coursed it’s way through their bond as Anakin deepened the kiss, tongue exploring Obi-Wan’s mouth with a soft groan, as he stroked against the velvet inner walls of his mouth with his own. 

_This is wrong,_ he thought, fleetingly. But the notion was impossible to grasp hold of.

The raw emotion of Anakin Skywalker was akin to standing naked before a hurricane cresting up over the shore. He crashed against Obi-Wan's very being, thrusting him under the waves of Anakin's lust and wanting — into the clutches of the lurking beast below that was Obi-Wan's own carefully hidden longing. 

A feral noise ripped up from the back of his throat as he pushed forward. His hand braced against the wooden surface of the porch, the other holding Anakin up by the back of his neck as he kissed into him.

Anakin abruptly pulled away, lips swollen and red, pupils dark and dilated fully — the perfect picture of arousal. He shifted uncomfortably, a strained tightness already forming noticeably in his pants. 

“I don’t want you to do anything _just_ because I asked you too.” Anakin’s cheeks flushed. “I won’t be upset if you want to stop.” 

He wanted — no _needed_ to know that Obi-Wan actually wanted him too.

Obi-Wan laughed darkly, nuzzling his forehead against Anakin. 

"Come with me," He said, leading Anakin back into the house. "Your skin is cold."

The way back inside and down the hall was a jumble of frenetic kisses and heated touches. The moonlight blazed bright at Obi-Wan's back as Anakin fell onto the large sprawl of Obi-Wan's bed. He followed down a moment later, pinning Anakin to the sheets with a firm hand under his shirt, pressed firm against his torso. His other hand ran down Anakin's flesh arm, twining with his chilled fingers. 

Warm lips graced the tips of his ears and the bridge of his nose — every place that had grown cold in the last chill before the oncoming spring.

Anakin twitched under the touch, keening softly. Even just the smallest of kisses... the smallest of touches... drove him _absolutely_ frantic with wanting. Obi-Wan was also so calm, so collected, but only Anakin could crack through the serene exterior. The man behind the mask had never been more apparent, and it exhilarated Anakin.

“Mm, Obi-Wan,” He exhaled in breathless delight. 

Obi-Wan hushed him, his lips traveling down to the sensitive skin of Anakin's bare chest and navel.

"Let me take care of you," Obi-Wan murmured. Anakin nodded quickly, face flushed scarlet, beads of sweat forming heavily along his brow. 

Obi-Wan’s hand slid down, rucking the hem of Anakin's pants lower. His teeth nipped at the ridge of Anakin's hipbone, the pads of his thumb and the side of his cheek brushed against the fine amber hair scattered between his navel and groin. 

Obi-Wan moved fluidly, arranging Anakin to part his legs, situating himself between them.

“Please,” Anakin begged, his words permission for Obi-Wan to pursue his body further. “I’ve thought about this... about _you_ so much — imagining what it would feel like for you to touch me.” 

Anakin couldn’t help but wonder if Obi-Wan had recently thought about him just as much too.

Obi-Wan’s teeth carefully explored the sensitive, tender skin of Anakin's inner thighs — causing him to writhe and seize. 

Alone in a house together for months, Anakin probably had been driven to lewd thoughts about drywall, let alone the only other warm body in close proximity. 

Obi-Wan took his time worshiping the long, muscled curvature of Anakin's legs, his other hand slowly eased down Anakin's pants further, freeing the man's cock into the cool night air. Obi-Wan kept one hand pressed against Anakin's chest, gentling and stilling him while the flat of his tongue ran up the base of his shaft before swallowing him down.

Anakin groaned loudly, an animalistic noise from deep within his throat. It took every last ounce of willpower not to further thrust into Obi-Wan’s hot open mouth. 

Obi-Wan’s heavy hand continued to steady his body, attempting to keep Anakin as still as possible — though the man’s long squirming legs were difficult to control. 

_Force, it felt so good._

Obi-Wan knew he was going to get addicted to the sounds Anakin was making. 

A heavy blanket of Force energy settled over Anakin's being, weighing him down and stilling him — gently restraining his body from any physical outlet or distraction from the sensation of Obi-Wan's warm mouth on him.

Their bond in the force was a smoldering flame of hot dopamine. 

He bobbed and moved slowly, savoring every inch of his body. Obi-Wan's hand slid low down Anakin's back, stroking the strip of skin just above the curve of his ass.

“I’ve never... I’ve never done _this_ before.” Anakin’s body twitched as Obi-Wan’s trailing fingers neared the unexplored, sensitive skin of his entrance. His voice was soft and vulnerable, face flushed with embarrassment.

Obi-Wan looked up at Anakin through thick lashes, his thumb massaging the base of Anakin's hot, turgid shaft.

He didn't wish to summon Padme's ghost, here or now. It gave him a vicious sort of satisfaction to know that despite the consummation of his marriage, there were parts of Anakin's body that they could come to know together. 

Obi-Wan slid off of Anakin's member slowly, paying careful attention to the swollen head with his tongue as he did. 

"Don't worry," He said lowly. "I'll teach you."

In a few short, efficient movements, both men had been freed of the remainders of their clothing. 

Obi-Wan had produced a bacta packet that he had grabbed from the kitchen (kept near the stove in case of burns) and coated his fingers with it, stroking against his entrance. 

"Relax for me — good. Remember to breathe," He soothed, slipping a long slick finger inside of him.

Anakin groaned loudly, the intrusion felt strange at first. It was much different than when he had explored himself alone, and he couldn’t help but eye Obi-Wan’s large erect cock — mouth watering in anticipation as a bead of pre-come formed against the tip. 

It was even longer hard, just as Anakin had suspected it would be from the first time he saw him nude. 

“I can handle more, Obi-Wan,” Anakin moaned, squirmed around to fuck himself on Obi-Wan’s lone finger. “I promise I can.”

"Yes, I know," He soothed. "You're doing so well for me, dear one..." Obi-Wan worked his finger inside, massaging Anakin open — working until he found the spot that caused Anakin to most keenly react and twist with pleasure — his sounds deliciously sweet and helpless under the steady, heavy pressure of the Force keeping him weighed down. 

After working him up to a steady rhythm of gasps and pleas, Obi-Wan worked in a second finger, and then a third. 

He hadn't planned on taking Anakin fully that night. He was large, and Anakin would need time. 

But he begged so sweetly, and Obi-Wan could never bear to deny him of things he truly wanted. 

Obi-Wan pulled his fingers out, leaning forward to kiss Anakin deeply and slowly, letting the knot of tight desire slowly unravel under Anakin's muffled sobs of longing. Obi-Wan shifted forward, his erect cock hot and flush against Anakin's thigh. 

"Do you think you can take it, Anakin? All of me?" He murmured into Anakin's ear, kissing just below the lobe where he knew his skin was most sensitive.

“Y _es_ ,” Anakin whimpered, inching his body further down until the tip of Obi-Wan’s cock was lined up perfectly with his tight hole. It took all the self-control inside Anakin to not immediately fuck himself onto Obi-Wan’s cock. 

“Please, I know I can handle it, _Master_.” Anakin’s voice was low and wanting, he would have given anything to be fucked by Obi-Wan right here and now.

"My padawan," Obi-Wan breathed, filling Anakin's snug hole with the full length of his warmth. 

Obi-Wan took his time, moving in gentle circular motions. Anakin keened softly, clinging to Obi-Wan's shoulders. 

"Such a good boy, so sensitive for me,” Obi-Wan praised softly.

He paid close attention to every hitch of Anakin's breath as he moved, peppering his neck with hot doting kisses until he finally bottomed out.

Obi-Wan continued to whisper soothing, reverent into Anakin's ear, taking a moment to let him adjust. Obi-Wan flexed and exhaled slowly, his lips roving across the sweet-salt taste of Anakin's forehead.

And then, he began to move.

Obi-Wan had been determined to take his time in pleasuring Anakin. However, as soon as he found himself surrounded by that tight, wet heat he found himself shamefully overcome with the need to devour and have him all at once. 

It wasn't until the third round, well into the early hours of the morning that the storm of lust ebbed to something more serene. Anakin reduced to a muddled mess of tears and reverent pleas. 

Obi-Wan took him slowly then, deeply. 

He would never say the words out loud, he couldn't. Not when what Anakin wanted — needed then — was a simple release. 

But he could express it with his body, with the way his fingers roved across Anakin's skin, memorizing the points of light that caused him to writhe and clench with delight. Or the way his hot tongue graced his clavicle in the lulls between rounds. 

The sky was lightening to a pale lavender-gold when the two men came for the final time, weak and shuddering in one another's arms. 

"M'not tired." Anakin breathed, his eyes glazed and blissful. Obi-Wan handled his legs as easily as a doll, massaging a final round of bacta into his slick and loose hole — this time to help his body recover from taking so much in a single evening. 

Though Obi-Wan worked to avoid his prostate, Anakin still simpered and moaned weakly every so often, his cock twitching furtively, but too spent to do much more than that. Anakin's arms were stretched limply above his head, one hand half-run through the dampened sex-mussed locks of his hair. 

"You're going to want rest and recover, dear one," Obi-Wan said quietly, hoarsely.

"I feel fine." Anakin murmured, “More than fine.”

Obi-Wan's lips twitched, crooking one finger in a way that caused Anakin to seize and gasp in a mingling of pleasure-pain that quickly warmed into a breathless laugh. A single, clear spurt dribbled out of him onto his stomach. 

Anakin settled then, letting Obi-Wan continue to dote on him, cleaning the mess and soothing his sore muscles. 

"I mean it! I can walk." Anakin looked up at Obi-Wan with an impossibly soft expression "I want to watch the sunrise." 

  
  


-

  
  


A silver mist clung to the bright dewy grass, gleaming brightly under the gold tendrils of the morning. 

The first insects of the season buzzed and flitted about the blade of the meadow, chased after by swallows and finches. 

Somewhere in the deep wood, the owl hooted its final call for the night, and a lark began to sing. 

Obi-Wan deeply breathed in the tea in his hands. 

It was the last of the special blend Anakin had gotten him months ago for Life Day. But that was alright. 

He had a feeling the tea produced here on Alderaan was starting to grow on him. 

Anakin lay pressed up against his side, half-lost under the thick pillowed quilt wrapped up around him. 

"Do you think Luke and Leia are going to grow up not knowing our real names?" Anakin asked, suddenly, his eyes far off and distant. 

"What?" Obi-Wan petted Anakin's hair absentmindedly. "Where did this come from?" 

"Just wondering."

"Hm," Obi-Wan pondered, taking a sip of tea if only to buy himself the time. "Toddlers can be quite poor at keeping secrets. It may be for the best."

"I can still call you Obi-Wan in bed though, right?" Anakin asked, not looking at him. His voice was light, casual — deliberately so. 

Obi-Wan's heart leapt in his chest, though not a flicker of it showed on his face. 

"I... suppose that would be alright."

Anakin furrowed his brow, his mind focused back on the twins and their future together here on Alderaan. 

“I want them to know the truth about everything... when they’re old enough to keep a secret. I guess until then, it would be best for them to just know us as Ashmi and Ben.”

"They’ll require teaching in the ways of the Force," Obi-Wan murmured, petting Anakin’s hair, massaging gentle circles against his scalp. "How to control it, respect it. Understand the nature of the light and dark sides of the universe they inhabit." 

He chuckled.

"We'll have to do a bit of learning ourselves. Before we know it, they'll likely be getting coy smiles from hardware store clerks as well. I don't feel the least bit prepared for when that day might come..."

Anakin rolled his eyes, tucking his head into Obi-Wan’s side. 

No matter what, he wanted to be careful what they told Luke and Leia before they were old enough to learn the entire truth... anything to reduce the amount of lying that would be done, even for the greater good. 

It would already be hard enough for them to learn Obi-Wan and him were not who they thought. 

The town, however, was quite a different story. They needed to do _whatever_ they could to keep their cover. 

“I... have a crazy idea,” Anakin suggested. Obi-Wan looked over at him curiously, an eyebrow raised. 

“If I was an Empire soldier, and I heard, in passing, about two single men hiding out in the woods with children and droids... what would I think?” 

“I would maybe suspect... _Jedi_ , or at the very least someone who had a reason to hide.” Obi-Wan stroked his beard. “But what if we just changed the narrative a bit?” Anakin sat up, a bit, hugging the quilt more tightly about himself. His cheeks pinked from embarrassment. “If we, _you know,_ appeared more as a family. Like... a married couple... with children. It wouldn’t raise _as_ many red flags to the

Empire.”

Obi-Wan froze, his heart lurching forward into his throat. 

"I... see." Obi-Wan gripped his mug of tea tightly, a dark hole opening up in his chest. "Yes, I— if it would set your mind at ease." He swallowed with difficulty. “I daresay it won't take you long to find a partner you are compatible with. When that happens I... won't get in your way." He promised his smile a mask of sincerity.

“No, Obi-Wan, I meant with _you._ ” Anakin frowned, “I was suggesting that _we_ pretend to be married.”

"What?" Obi-Wan reeled, blinking at him in disbelief. "Anakin... surely you don't—?" 

_Don't want that?_

But hadn't Anakin said himself he wanted to continue sleeping together? If he continued to indulge Anakin's desires, would he be allowed to stay here, stay in his heart?

Could Obi-Wan continue to do it, to hide his feelings, and pretend there was nothing deeper that he felt for Anakin Skywalker?

Then again — he had wondered the same thing a year ago about keeping Anakin hidden and out of the clutches of the Empire. 

"Well, I suppose." He heard himself say without quite meaning to. "It would make things more straightforward for the children."

Anakin sighed to himself, he could tell Obi-Wan was hesitant. 

After all, who was Anakin to take his possible future away from him? Obi-Wan was still a young and attractive man... he could have a life outside of Anakin if he wanted it. 

“I just thought it would help us blend in more... but Obi-Wan, if this isn’t what you want— You shouldn’t have to spend your entire life caring for me if it’s _not_ what you want.”

Obi-Wan had cared for Anakin since he was nine-years-old, maybe he wanted something else now.

Obi-Wan laughed, ruffling Anakin's hair, pulling him a bit closer.

Especially after the night they had, especially in the quiet peace of the morning, the notion of it seemed laughable. 

"Anakin, I should think by now you would understand that I will always be here for you. As long as you want me to be." Obi-Wan took Anakin's hand in the quiet, peaceful morning, touching them to his lips. 

"...And I quite relish the idea of embarking on this new adventure with you."

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who joined us on this! I hope it brought some comfort during what's been a very hectic period of time for a lot of people! We massively appreciate all of the feedback and support and hope that you tune in for Part 2!
> 
> Visit [Crys](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/whohatessand) and [Jo](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/jswander) on tumblr! Come send us some asks and yell at us about the story! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
